Lightning in a Bottle
by dcarot
Summary: AU Vampire Academy but with Rose as a Moroi with some unconventional practices. Rated M for language, I guess.
1. Chapter 1

I awoke with a start, blinding light shining in my face from the window next to the bed we slept on. The heat only accentuated the frantic beating of my heart, my ragged breaths, and the anxiety coursing through me. I mentally scrambled through my frightened haze to recall what had gotten me in this state. Images of smoke and fire, crushed metal and blood came back to me in flashes. Instantly I turned to Lissa who was beside me on the bed. She was still thrashing lightly from the nightmare she had unwittingly sucked me into, the blanket twined round her long legs and her golden hair fanned above her head. I quickly moved to rouse her, saddened by the reality of what she was going through.

Two years ago, on a drive back to Lissa's house from some long forgotten event, the car containing me, Lissa, and all of her family had been crashed into by a drunk driver. I had no memory of the event after the impact, just a distinct feeling of warmth and the image of a crisp, white light. From the images in Lissa's head the warmth was no surprise but I still couldn't pinpoint the light. Maybe I had been dying and heading to heaven. Regardless, Lissa had pulled me from the wreckage and I had somehow held on until the paramedics arrived. I was the only one besides Lissa to survive the crash, leaving me with bottomless well of survivor's guilt and leaving Lissa as the last living Dragomir and escalating her from the rank of royal to 'Princess'.

I should probably clarify when I talk about getting images from Lissa's head. Honestly I'm still not sure myself, but ever since the accident I started getting these feelings. They would come at random times, fluctuating from extreme depression to crippling joy. I thought I was going crazy, especially when the feelings escalated to images. It would normally happen when I was tired; images of a different place would filter into my head. I thought I was going completely crazy until one image showed me looking in the mirror and seeing Lissa's face staring back. Then my more inquisitive nature took hold. After a sudden mood swing I would text Lissa if something going on, and every time the feeling matched what she reported. Somehow, I had developed a mental connection with Lis. From there the frequency of the images escalated into full blow mind reading and even being sucked into her head. Obviously it made communicating and coordinating with her much easier, but it was moments like these when it really sucked.

Sitting up against the headboard I slid her into my lap, shaking her gently as I brushed damp hair out of her face. "Liss, honey, I've got you. You're OK, we're OK. We're safe honey."

I watched her eyes flicker open, piercing green focusing on my eyes before her entire face sank in on itself. She turned her head into my stomach as she started bawling. I continued to calm her and shush her, waiting out the tears. Finally she dried her eyes on my t-shirt, chuckling in the way only people who've just cried their sorrow out can.

"Good thing I never liked this shirt, otherwise I would feel bad," she said with a sniffle. She propped herself into a seated position on the edge of the bed, facing away from me.

Raising my eyebrows I retorted, "You know I wear it cuz you hate it and it's the one thing I don't let you touch. Seems you've found a loophole," I finished, looking down at my tear-stained shirt. I had it printed at a specialty shop in Ohio when we were passing through. It was black, with the Black Keys' Thickfreakness art stamped in the middle. I loved their music, and when I loved something, I got it printed on a t-shirt. Looking back up as silence stretched between us I realized from her posture that she was dwelling on the images from her dream. Scooting next to her on the bed I wrapped my arms around her.

"Liss, you know I'm here for you if you ever need to talk about it."

Sniffing, she turned to me with a smile. "No, it would be selfish of me to add my own worries on top of yours." She turned to look out the window and I followed her gaze. We both sat there for a few moments getting lost in the clear blue of the sky until the heat from the direct sun made us get up and out of the direct rays, yawning at the early hour. From the angle of the sun it looked to be mid-afternoon, a few hours before we normally got up.

See both Lissa and I are Moroi, a race of vampires. While Moroi can stand direct sunlight, we burn easy and our eyes are sensitive to the bright light. When we ran away from St Vladimir's academy a year ago we opted to remain on the school's timetable which had us awake at night and sleep during the day. This was both for our comfort and so that we could remain vigilant at night. Night is when you really have to worry as all the things that go 'bump' come out to play. While Moroi are generally a peaceful, civilized race, they have a violent counterpart, the Strigoi. Strigoi are more along the lines of your classic horror movie depiction of vampires. They come with red eyes, lightning fast speed and reflexes, and a "I want to suck your blood" personna. That's not to say that Moroi don't want the same thing; blood is a necessary component of our diet. But Strigoi are fundamentally evil, their soul irredeemable. They get pleasure in the fear and ultimate demise of their prey; Moroi are much more morally conscious. We look human. We eat human food. Many of us even have jobs heavily ingrained in the human world. We never kill when we feed, and those that do turn into Strigoi. Instead we've found humans, through various means, that wish to donate blood to cause. In a drastic situation a human could be convinced to give blood using a type of magic called Compulsion. It's essentially mind control and the thought of forcing someone to my will has never sat well with me, especially not if I was going to take blood from them. At school feeders, as the donors are called, were provided for the students. On the run, Liss and I have had less luck.

Pulling myself from my musing, I heard a rumbling come from Lissa's stomach.

"Hungry? I'll go make some midday snacks," I said passing her as I walked to the door of my room.

"Thanks Rose, that dream always wipes me out."

Flashing her a sad smile I walked out the door and down the short hall to the kitchen. Liss and I had found a cheap place on the fringes of the local campus to stay. With a little convincing (and maybe a tint of compulsion on Lissa's part) we convinced the four other people in the three-bedroom apartment to let us stay in the single room. It suited us anyways, as we had slept in the same bed since we were little girls. We grew up together, my mother's side of the family being super close to the Dragomir's. My mother had always preferred a more passive life, choosing the peacefulness of a human life over the demands of living at court. Being the daughter of an unimportant Ivashkov and an even more unimportant non-royal of the Hathaway family, my mother had passed into anonymity. She also decided that she did not wish to take me with her, choosing instead to ship me off to live full time at the Academy. It was there I had met Lissa, and given the tints of royalty in my bloodline and the kindness of the Dragomir's, I had practically been adopted into their family. My last name would forever hold me back from really succeeding in our society however. My mother would never tell me who my father was, opting instead to give me the last name of her own father. And so the notorious societal stain Rosemarie Hathaway was introduced to this world.

On auto-pilot I had pulled out all the makings for grilled cheese and had already fried up the bread. Laying on the cheddar cheese I smushed the two halves together, letting it heat until the cheese began to melt down the side. I pulled the steaming mug of tomato soup out of the microwave where I had set it heat, and grabbing it with the now plated sandwich hurried back to the room. From the doorway I studied Lissa, who was now dressed in jeans and a beige top with a pleasing geometric pattern in shades of green sprinkled across it. She looked every part the royal princess, from the way she dressed to the posture she held. The only clue to the inner turmoil came through her eyes, which were once again trained out the window. It was an unseasonably sunny day in Oregon and she was once again lost in the clouds. The sun had moved while I was making our snack, now hitting the wall of the headboard. Putting down the food on the dresser near the door I walked up to her grabbing her hand as I led her to the edge of the bed. Grabbing her shoulder to face me I looked in her eyes. Shadows I hadn't noticed in the commotion of our jarring wake-up now showed clear against her pale skin in the filtered sunlight.

"You need blood," I said bluntly.

Sighing she replied, "Yeah, we both do. We finished the last bag two days ago, remember." Unwilling to compel someone to feed us we had decided to break our way into blood banks in areas right before we left them. If we got caught we used compulsion to get away. It somehow felt less appaling that way.

Looking back out at the sky I replied forlorned, "I'm not ready to leave yet." There wasn't really a question about it, if we robbed the bank we left town. In fact, we really needed to get out of the area soon. Our last heist had been only a town over due to this very reason. We had set up roots here and, not wanting to leave, had decided a little risk was worth it. But we really needed to be careful. Strigoi weren't the only threat. Lissa being the last Dragomir meant that she needed to be protected, and the Academy took it upon themselves to return Lissa safely. Once before we had brushed paths with Guardians sent from the academy. We were lucky enough to get away then but this time we were really pushing our luck. Guardians are the professional group of protectors that the final race of vampires, Dhampirs, usually became. Dhampirs are half human/ half vampire hybrids. They lack the strong magic that flows through the Moroi, granting us the affinity to the elements, but they make up for it in increased strength, senses, and agility. They are naturally more fit to fill the 'policing' role in our society, thought that vein of thought has led to a segregation of sorts. The Dhampirs are now expected to fulfil the Guardian role, anything else causing them to be shunned by society. Given the shit job, society eventually began to treat them like shit. The motto of the Guardians was "They come first". Twisted logic in my mind. Given my unconventional upbringing and my inconsequential social status I had spent a lot of time around Dhampirs, coming to enjoy the group of friends I've made within them more than any royal posse, Lissa excluded. Lissa's other friends were mainly royal, as fit for her royal status as princess, but she secretly shared a like-minded attitude.

Turning back to face her I coaxed her towards my next.

"Come on, you're looking like you really need it." Lissa looked at me with doubt in her eyes. We were both tired and in need of the blood, but she looked like she was really suffering. While Moroi blood wouldn't be a nutritious as human, nor as uniquely delicious as Dhampir, it should sustain her until tonight when we were going to have to make our break in. I watched as the doubt turned to hunger in her eyes. She voiced once out of politeness, "Are you sure," even as she leaned into my neck. I nodded my affirmative. I was prepared to sacrifice anything for Liss, a little blood was nothing. A warm feeling spread in my neck when she bit me, followed by the feeling of loss that always accompanied the act of giving blood. We hadn't done this much so the same mental warnings went off that always triggered in my body that I shouldn't be losing blood, I should be taking it. While there wasn't the same taboo around biting another Moroi as there was surrounding biting a Dhampir, this would still be seen as a highly sensual act. If Liss wasn't practically my sister and this situation a necessity, I would refuse outright. I still worked to suppress the erotic waves of pleasure that always accompanied being bitten. They were stronger for other races than Moroi, but it was still pleasurable. Dhampirs who allowed themselves to be bitten often became addicted. It was a highly frowned upon practice, and any Dhampir who allowed it was labeled a 'bloodwhore". In fact a Dhampir who chose any career path besides Guardian, though it wasn't like many were really available, were labeled as such. The nasty term was even used to describe Dhampir women who chose to raise their children instead of fight as a Guardian. Likewise, humans could also become addicted. The blinding veil of pleasure could be seen in the eyes of anyone being or about to be bitten. The same expression probably passed my face as the emotions warred within me. I tried to contain it, settle my face into a mask of impassivity but the pleasure was always there. As Lissa finished sipping she pulled away. With a slight sigh I could not contain I fell back onto the pillows, my world slightly soft around the edges. Getting fed on always did this to me.

A much brighter looking Lissa bobbed into view. "You OK?"

"Yeah just give me a sec."

With a blinding smile I watched her bounce out my view. Summoning my strength I propped myself back into a sitting position. I turned my head to watch Lissa steal I bite out of the grilled cheese and then moan appreciatively. She handed me the plate but looked longingly at it.

"You sure you don't want any more," I asked out of politeness. I wasn't starving but I wouldn't turn down the food, especially not after what we just did. Scrunching up her nose she shook her head slightly.

"No, eating after feeding never goes well, even if your grilled cheese is amazing as always. Plus, you really need it more than me." She flashed me a sympathetic smile.

Turning back towards my view with plate in hand I took a huge bite. It always impressed Lissa the volume of food I could consume. Most Moroi were dainty eaters, but I was never like most Moroi. While the current society had silently pushed towards a segregation between species where Moroi lived a sheltered protected life provided by the Dhampirs, I had rebelled against it. Starting at a young age I was confused when my Dhampir friends were put through rigorous physical training while Moroi remaining inside. Secretly I began training on my own, building up my physical endurance. I was now on par with some of the weakest Dhampirs and leagues above all of my Moroi peers. I successfully hid the physical changes this caused my body under heavy clothes and poor posturing. I didn't care what most Moroi thought, as they had already disregarded me due to my family name, and the Dhampirs never minded me hanging out with them, even if their motto was still ingrained within their mind. I had even convinced one of my ex-boyfriends, Mason, to teach me some hand-to-hand combat in secret. He was still a close friend and I'm sure was excelling back at school. My thoughts turned forlorn as I drew away from thinking about what had been my home for many years. Instead my eyes focused on a slight movement outside of the window. Placing the now empty plate beside me on the bed I stepped forward to get a better look. Down in the center of the complex that our apartment was in stood a man in a long leather coat. He was slightly concealed in the shadows of the trees but a slight breeze had ruffled his long hair, causing me to see the movement. My stomach dropped when I took in the aggressive posture and stare directed right at my window. I watched as recognition passed over his features and he turned towards the street entrance.

"Shit."

Ramming the blinds shut I turned to the closet to grab our bug-out bags and two jackets.

"Liss!" I called down the hall as I turned toward one of our roommates' doors. I heard her rapid approach behind me as Jason opened the door to another bedroom. Locking eyes with him, I put under compulsion.

"Hey Jay, you're gonna give us the keys to your car," I said in a charismatic tone.

Confusion passed through his clouded eyes. God this made me sick, Lissa was the one who normally did the compulsion but we didn't have time for the lengthy moral argument that would ensue.

Pushing a little harder I repeated, "Jay, give us the keys to your car and forget all about Liss and I. You misplaced your car keys but won't look for them until tomorrow."

The confusion disappeared from his eyes and with a small smile on his face rummaged through his back pocket, dropped his keys in my hand and turned back into his room.

"You're lucky Sean wasn't in the room with him," Lissa said with disapproval in her voice. Her face quickly turned to a mask of concern when I rushed past her down the hall, grabbing her hand.

"We've gotta move Liss, they found us."

With a gasp, recognition and determination passed over her face.

"Remember the plan?" I said, thought the comment was more an excuse to vent some nervous energy. The sandwich hadn't been nearly enough to satisfy and given my weakened state I knew I was running on anxiety and adrenaline. She nodded as we rushed to the front door. We were almost there when someone started banging on it shouting "THIS IS THE POLICE, OPEN UP!" I highly doubted it was the police.

Halting in my tracks, Lissa crashed into my back. Making an about face I shooed her towards the bathroom. Plan B. While the price for these rooms had been perfect, we chose this group of apartments for a reason. Originally a three story building during development, the project manager must have acquired more money during the build because it was quickly changed to a five story to match most of the other apartment complexes in this area. That meant that while structurally one staircase had been built up to the third floor, another staircase was made to get from the third to the fourth and fifth. Both staircases hugged apartment 3H, the room Lissa and I had happened to stumble upon. Assuming any threat would come from the lower stairs, plan B was to take the staircase up to the roof and escape from there. While our bedroom faced directly out to the quad, the bathroom backed right up to upper stairway. With a little excavation and a conveniently placed vent that no one questioned 'wink wink' we had ourselves an alternate escape route.

Pushing Liss towards the toilet I locked the door and crouched down by the sink. I then kicked out the weakly installed vent. All those squat workouts were really coming to fruition. Gesturing to Lissa she quickly got onto her hands and knees before backing out of the vent. Grabbing her wrist I gently lowered her to the steps below. After pushing out the bags to her I followed suit. Landing in the stairway with a thud that I deadened as best as I could. I was an Air user. I found my affinity at a pretty early age, being only 14, and my connection grew rapidly. Again, I kept my practices a secret but I knew I wanted to be able to protect myself and that meant training body and mind (and air, I guess). While not traditionally seen as being a particularly strong magic, I found myself excelling at deadening the sound of my movement and had even worked on modulating air density to help soften falls.

Grabbing Liss by the hand again I began climbing the steps up to the roof. As expected this staircase was empty, but given the fact that they were soon about to bust in our door and find us missing from the apartment, I wasn't sure how long that would be the case. Reaching the door to the roof I found it unlocked and slightly ajar, just as I had hoped it would be. People often came up here to smoke as it was prohibited in the building. Dropping Lissa's hand I rushed to the far side of the building that butted up against a thin alleyway. Peaking over the edge I saw it and the fire escape empty. Motioning for Lissa to follow I started down the escape. To prevent us from completely giving away our position I deadened the sound again, but the drain of using my magic was starting to catch up to me. With relief we hit the pavement and I cut the magic, creeping towards the street I peeked around the corner. It appeared empty but I couldn't be too sure. Handing one of the hoodies and one of the bags I had grabbed to Lissa I put the other on and flipped the hood up, motioning for her to do the same. It was comforting to have my old leather jacket/hoodie combo back on, even if it was rather warm for it. Linking my arm in Liss's I turned us away from the front of the apartment complex scanning for Jason's old beat-up sedan. I prayed that it was in this direction, but turning back to check the other way wasn't an option. I had no idea how many Guardians were in the vicinity, but as soon as they figured out we weren't in the building, this whole block would be covered by their vigilant watch. Muttering under my breath I realized I couldn't see the car, but I wasn't stopping. Reaching the end of the block I hooked left with Lissa. By this point, the adrenaline was starting to wear off and I realized it was all that was really carrying me at this point. Unfortunately, Liss didn't share my appreciation of the physical aspects of my training nor did she have a specialization in her affinity. This meant she really wasn't strong enough to do anything in this situation, a fact I secretly lamented. I pushed the keys into her hand saying, "We find the car, you drive." She was partially supporting me by this point.

We turned the corner and with joy I spotted the car halfway down the block. With renewed hope I picked up the pace as we moved towards the car. The hope turned to fear though when we were still three cars away. Behind a voice shouted something. The one bad thing about the area we lived in was that no one was around in the middle of the afternoon. Students were in class and adults were at work, making two teenage girls in pajama shorts and heavy jackets really stand out. We ran the rest of the way to the car. Turning around at the passenger side door I noted the figure of the man from earlier. He was already halfway to us and I resigned myself to a fight, hoping Liss would focus on getting the car started. As he got closer I dropped into a defensive stance, loosening up my shoulders. I was really worse than a novice when it came to hand to hand but I was hoping a surprise attack from a seemingly weak Moroi would be enough to stun him long enough for Liss and I to get away.

I heard Lissa squeak as she finally got the door open and glanced up to see how close the Guardian had gotten.

"Get the car started," I said to Liss focusing completely on the target in front of me.

Seemingly disregarding me, the man, now 10 feet in front of me spoke, directing his words at Lissa. "Princess Dragomir. I am a Guardian with the Academy, I've come to bring you back safely to St. Vladimir's by order of-"

His words were cut off as he responded to my attack. I was pissed, and when I was pissed I was strong. How dare this man just disregard me as not a threat. He didn't even acknowledge my presence. Summoning a slice of wind I directed it at his face as I launched into a sweep maneuver at his feet. Being so weak the air was barely enough to leave a superficial cut, but it provided enough distraction that my sweep knocked him down.

"Now Liss!" I yelled as I sprang towards the car. The car jumped to life under her hand and I was just pulling the door open when Lissa gasped.

I felt a broad hand grab my shoulder and fling me towards the sidewalk and then everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey thanks for stopping back in for more. I'm really starting to see what everyone is talking about when they get excited about receiving reviews. They make you feel all bubbly inside when you realize that people care enough to comment, so thanks for those that do. This chapter is a bit shorter than the first but I think I like this length a bit better. Let me know if you care one way or another. And yeah... I guess that's it... Oh um... I don't own anything or something like that. Have fun.

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Waking up was, in general, an extremely disorienting process for me. I would not consider myself a morning person by any stretch of the phrase.

Waking up with my hands zip-tied and my entire back and head aching was worse.

Groaning, I shifted in my seat simultaneously trying to work the kinks out of my shoulders and cater to the pounding throb echoing in my head. The sharp tug at my wrist, which caused me to open my eyes, was what alerted me to my detained situation. Fear and adrenaline began to barrage my system, bringing with it the worst kind of wake-up buzz. Bright light streamed in from the cabin lights above my head, temporarily blinding me. Looking down in an attempt to shield my eyes, I realized that I was still in my pajama shorts, white with red lips printed on it. My jacket was still on with the hood drawn, which was nice because the cabin was chilly on my bare legs.

"Finally up?" A pleasant, accented voice came from my left on the other side of the isle of plane. I looked up in time to watch the man from the street put down a weather-beaten book and openly study me from across the isle.

"Fuck me..." I muttered under my breath, closing my eyes briefly as yesterday came back to me. We were in for it now. The fear that had helped me wake up a second ago was quickly fading into resignation as I realized our situation. We were caught. We got lazy and now we were gonna pay for it.

Never one to stay down for long I snapped my eyes back open. In a swift movement I sat forward in my seat, staring intently at our capturer. He had shifted forward instantly in response, coiled as if ready for me to try something. Lifting my hands in front of my body in a semblance of an awkward prayer pose I queried, "Handcuffs? Really? For a Moroi? What am I gonna do, attack you with my superiority complex?" I put on my signature Rose smirk as I spoke.

His cold demeanor didn't change, the mask of his face only moving when he tilted his to the side to accentuate the small gash under his eyes.

Easing back in my seat I crossed my legs in a demure fashion. "You should really get that looked at. Wouldn't want it getting infected." With the way he was seated I knew he was now on high alert from me. Without the element of surprise I really didn't stand a chance against a fully trained guardian. "Where's Liss?" I zoned out briefly as I said it, chastising myself for not thinking of her sooner, but her mental signature rang loud and clear from somewhere nearby. It was laced with slight anxiety but but no pain so I know they hadn't hurt her.

"The Princess is fine, and safe now thanks to our successful operation." The sound of his voice brought me back. I focused on his words and his face, hearing the slight accent that slipped through on the vowels as he formed each word. It sounded European, Russian maybe. The effect only added to the quite bad-ass vibe he was rocking. And Saints Above was he rocking it. Like most Dhampirs he was muscularly defined, but this guy took it a step further. He worked out, no doubt about it. He was pulling off a 'I work out four hours a day' kind of definition in his shoulders, which only served to be more intimidating when coupled with his height. Even sitting down he was tall. He had to be at least half a foot above me, impressive given my 5'10 frame. The image was further improved by his sharp jawline and vivid eyes which were now burning holes in mine. Conclusion: hot as fuck. Which made it even more embarrassing that I was sitting here in the same pajamas he had handed me my ass in.

Hearing Lissa's name filled me with determination once more. Hoping to my feet I twisted to stretch my back as I asked, "You got a bathroom on here?" His response was instantaneous. Like the strike of a cobra he was on his feet in a non-aggressive but fully prepared stance opposite me. A blade had appeared in his hand. Fear trilled through me at the sight, causing me to bound back towards the windows on my side. I wasn't in the best condition for a fight but I sure as fuck wasn't going down easy.

"Relax," he said, his relaxed tone completely at odds with his reaction. "Toilets down on your left. Your clothes are in there. You might want to get cleaned up a little." He looked pointedly at my neck for a second before approaching and cutting the zip tie. I automatically rubbed my wrists, mock tipping an invisible hat to the guardian as I brushed past him to walk down the plane. Now that I could see the layout a little better I realized it was fairly small, but separated into two sections by the hall holding the bathrooms. On the side I awoke, which I now realized was the front, were only a few lounge chairs and a table. As I stopped at the bathroom I caught a glimpse of the back of the plane. Again there were a few chairs and tables as well as a small bed in the back. Lissa sat in one of the chairs facing away from me, surrounded by 6 other guardians who were in various states of awareness. Only one had glanced up at my approach. I saw brief alarm pass through his eyes when I wiggled my fingers in hello. I sent a warm breeze up the back of Lissa's neck to let her know I was awake as I dipped into the bathroom. I felt her response in my head as she started bombarding me with questions about how I was and what we were going to do.

Feeling the soreness on my ass from where I had fallen, I settled for looking in the mirror, asking myself those same questions.

The face starring back was haggard and pale but that wasn't completely unexpected given the last twenty four hours. What did scare me was the trail of dried blood I could see leading down from my neck. I frantically unzipped my hoodie moving it out of the way as I went to get a closer look at the injury. Had that asshole actually cut me? My anger was quickly replaced by worry. On my neck stood two distinct trails of blood that met and pooled at my collarbone. I wet some toilet paper before cleaning of the blood as best I could. While the puncture marks had healed now, two barely visible scars were on my neck. I woke up with my hood one but I wonder if anyone had seen. I couldn't be sure if the guardians could have seen through our bedroom window when she bit me but I was sure the man I fought had seen the marks. His earlier comment now made more sense. Great, not like I needed more hits to my reputation. I just hoped this wouldn't get out. News of a Moroi bloodwhore would not go over well for either me or Liss.

Cleaned up as best I could I looked at the pile of clothes. They must have pulled it from the bags we had with us because it was comprised of my least favorite pair of jeans and an old cut-up t-shirt from concert I couldn't even remember. Resigned to not looking my best I put the jacket back on over my new clothes, flipped down the hood and did my best to give myself two Dutch braids. I've got a reputation to uphold, even when I've gotten the shit kicked out of me. Looking back in the mirror I thought I didn't look to bad. A little makeup would sure help but I wasn't embarrassed anymore. Stepping out of the bathroom I saw that the big bad guardian was once again settled into his book. I should probably go back over but seeing as no one had specifically told me to return to my seat I grabbed a bottled water from the little service cart in the hall and walked towards Liss. I bristled when one of the guardians got up to block my path. Tilting my head I scoffed, "Really, you're gonna get in my way of talking to Liss?" I shifted my weight to one hip and put a hand on it. I know I looked simultaneously unassuming and bad-ass like this. The look would be completely if I could raise just one of my eyebrows but they refused to cooperate, both of them lifting to give me an astonished air. Good enough.

"Please return to your seat," he intoned.

"Rose?" Lissa's voice drew my attention to the side where I saw her getting up from her chair, a headphone hanging from her ear. The small smile that had flitted to my face upon seeing how vibrant she looked (clearly they let her have some makeup) quickly faded as the guardian next to her gently grabbed her shoulder and pushed her back into her seat.

I hissed, and was about to slap the guardian hard with an air whip when I felt strong hands envelope my wrists and detain me. I deep voice spoke from above me, causing me to shiver at the deep timber. "Now, now. Lets keep the claws away shall we." His tone and weak grasp were rather insulting, and while I knew I couldn't take all of the guardians on the plane and somehow get us to safety, my anger was really starting to take the wheel. I was about to break his grasp and send him flying with a gust of wind when Lissa spoke up.

"Rose! Its not worth it." I'm fine, she intoned in my head, just go sit down.

Her reassurances helped sooth me. My sass returned in a huff. Leaning back slightly into the man who had grasped my hands, I suppressed the slight tinge of pain as I looked up at him over my shoulder. "Comrade," I chastised, " All this aggression you're directing at me is really making me think you've taken a liking to me. Does someone have a crush?" His grip on my wrists tightened sharply as I heard one of the other guardians chuckle. Someone muttered "classic Hathaway" under their breath as he escorted me back to the front of the plane. Back in my seat I slumped sideways in my seat, kicking up my feat. In an annoying whine I questioned whether I would get to listen to music, too. My guard didn't even bother looking up.

Shouting at the top of my lungs I called to Liss.

"DJ DRAGOMIR, DROP A BEAT!" My captor merely raised one eyebrow (the annoying p.o.s) then smirked when no music could be heard.

But I didn't need the music out loud. I tuned my mind into Lissa Radio hour and she had obediently turned to my favorite music.

Still in my Black Keys mood, Lissa had turned on the El Camino albumn. I started wailing on my air guitar as Nova Baby started coming through. By the chorus I was belting out the lyrics.

"All your enemies

Smile when you fall

You take it cause you

Don't know what you want

You don't know what you want.

All this love of mine

All my precious time

You waste it cause you?

Don't know what you want?

You don't know what you want."

He either hated the song or my rendition of it because I found myself with my iPod in my lap rather quickly. Flashing Guard Man another smile I stuffed my headphones in shouting my thanks back to Liss. I thought I briefly caught a flash of confusion on his face before the 'Guardian Mask' was back in place.

I passed the remaining hours of the flight in a blissful bubble of good music. The newfound peace didn't last after we landed; our iPods were once again confiscated as we got into a car. Luckily, though, they hadn't felt the need to keep us separated again. I was situated in the front next to big man, who was driving. Lissa was put in the very back but I wasn't going to let that stop our conversation.

I chuckled in response to her mental comment that at least it took like twelve guardians to take down two Moroi girls. "Yeah, that's the making of a legendary reputation right there." Liss and I were used to these types of conversations by now.

 _'He's pretty hot, yeah?'_ she thought. I sent her a look over my shoulder. "Ja feel, honey." This man looked delicious, even with his defined muscles now hidden behind some type of long leather jacket. A duster, I think it was called.

' _I'm thirsty, can you toss me that water you've got?'_ she asked in my head. With a quick "Sure" I flipped the bottle backwards towards her.

 _'You see his marks?'_ She was talking about Comrade up front with me. I shook my head, thinking to myself that a man as young as he looked couldn't have seen much battle. I got sucked into her head enough to see the image she was seeing. From between the head rest and the seat she could just make out a cluster of symbols on his neck representing the number of Strigoi he had killed. The number both astonished and saddened me. The 'honor' of killing our enemies was not one I regretted missing out on, being Moroi and all. Nor do I think I would particularly like it ingrained in my skin but to each his own. Focusing back on the present I watched as St. Vlads came into view. I felt the shift in magic as we passed through the barrier, but instead of the relief that should have come with the safety a tight ball of anxiety dropped into my stomach. The same heavy feeling that had dogged me before we left was once again hanging on my shoulders. A streak of auburn hair and blue eyes flashed through my head but was gone before I could lock onto the image. My concern and confusion was pushed to the side as I took in the time. My gaze quickly rose to the busy campus that was alive with activity as the students went to lunch. I groaned, looking over at my guard. He was parking the car, and with lithe gracefulness jumping out to coordinate with the other guardians. Knowing that we were just delaying the inevitable I popped open the door and hopped out. Stretching slightly I grimaced at what was to come. We would either be greeted by judging silence or raucous applause. Either way we would be the center of attention. Looking at Lissa, I saw the same wariness in her eyes. I focused straight ahead.

"Here we go."


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Hey, thanks for the reviews, you lovely people you. I know everyone says this but it makes me all giddy when you get the gratification of knowing someone else cares enough about your story to leave a comment, so keep them coming. In this chapter we get to see the fallout of of Rose and Lis's actions and this AU's punishment, which is slightly different than the original story. On that note, I own nothing and am really glad all I have to do is move around chess pieces on the board Richelle Mead already set-up. Enjoy!_

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Returning to campus was like a slap in the face. The stuffy oppression that the people here seemed to thrive on was already seeping into me. For a full year Liss and I had tasted freedom. We had suffered from the never ending up-hill grind that was St Vlad's and the resulting free fall that was life on the outside had been terrifying and rewarding. But we'd reached the end of the roller coaster and they weren't gonna let us ride again.

Everyone was milling around and as soon as word started spreading that the elusive Princess and her delinquent friend had been caught, the halls were lined with faces trying to get a glimpse. If I hadn't been blushing a light shade of pink, I think I might have enjoyed the attention. It wasn't until some of the more derogatory comments, the ones I used to always get at school, started flying around that my embarrassment was replaced by anger and bravado. Yeah we had been caught, but did you see who they had to send after me to do it. I held my head high. A couple hours working the gossip channels and we'll have gone from scum to gods.

I looked around trying to get a handle on the new world order that rose in the wake of our departure. There was Camille, parting the sea of onlookers so she could get a front row seat to the commotion. From the look she sent my way I knew nothing had changed in that department. I guess a skank never does change her stripes.

Next was Aaron, Lissa's old flame. It appeared he had a new Christmas ornament dangling from his neck. I never liked him before, and now that I had to witness Lissa's rose colored glasses get ripped off by the tiny kindergarten bitch at his side, I had a new name to add to my list of asses to kick. At least he had the decency to look ashamed at trading in for _much_ younger looking model. Liss puts on a brave face but I knew that loosing all of her friends when we left was crushing. The reality that there might not be a place for her here anymore was hitting her hard.

I muttered some curses under my breath before looking over to Lissa. She held her head tall, never one to break down in front of others, but I saw the toll this walk was taking on her. "Just say the word, hun."

Sniffling, she pulled herself out of the mental hole she was digging. Looking me in the eye she thought to me, _'Not necessary. We're above this petty shit now.'_

Wow, Lissa only swears when she's serious. Alright.

We were approaching Kirova's office now. A guardian held the door open for us as we were funneled through. I hadn't noticed but as we were walking our guardian posse had dispersed til it was just Comrade and the guardian holding the door. The one at the door didn't follow us in. Putting on a fake smile, I waggled my fingers at the receptionist as I waltzed past her into Kirova's office. From all the times I've been in here I practically held a season pass.

Kirova was in the same spot she always was. There was always a split second when walking in that I thought they might have replaced Kirova with a human-sized grotesque statue of a hawk. But then her eyes would flash with recognition and a cruel smile would light up her face.

"Rosemarie. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company. Deigning to visit your old school after being bored with life on the outside?" She chuckled at her own joke, the ass.

Returning with just as much sarcasm I replied, "Oh you know, I just couldn't go more than a year without seeing your beautiful face. The guardians you sent were kind enough to escort us back, though I will say they were a bit pushy at times." My smile had just as much venom as my words. I sank gracelessly into one of the two chairs that faced her desk; Lissa was much more polite in her entrance. "Headmistress Kirova," she murmured as she curtsied. Perching on the end of the chair her mental tirade at me was completely opposite from her calm actions.

' _Rose, don't push her. We're in deep shit here and if you can avoid opening your mouth too far I might be able to get us off with some light punishment_.'

I felt my eyebrows raising as I turned to regard her with my incredulous expression that I hope said ' _Me? I would never._ '

"Guardian Belikov, thank you for completing your assignment in a timely fashion. Head Guardian Petrov will be able to fill you in on your schedule here. We'll discuss your other job at a later date." Kirova's voice drew my eyes to the silent figure in the corner. I'd missed him entering, damn guardian stealth skills. That's one more thing I would have to work on: my clearly lacking powers of observation.

Politely, he bowed and responded, "I have already met with Guardian Petrov. She told me she would be here shortly and that I should remain with the two girls until she gives further orders. " Damn, I know he doesn't know it, but contradicting Kirova is not the way to start a conversation with her. Well, unless you're me, that is. I tilted my head down to hide my smirk but I think 'Belikov' saw me. At least I was right about him being foreign. And apparently brought in just to catch us, I felt honored.

"Fine," she snapped. "Now back to you gir-", she started as the door was once again opened to admit Alberta and, to my surprise, Victor Dashkov. I almost choked in surprise, covering it with a cough. He was terribly sick, having degenerated quickly in the time we were gone. He now looked to be in his 80's when he was in fact the same age as Lissa's parents, or at least the same age they would be. Terrible sadness flooded me through the bond as Lissa got up to embrace him.

"Uncle," she said with tears clogging her throat. He hugged her tightly, though I could see a look of pain cross his face from the exertion. After Lissa's parents had passed he had helped take care of her and by extension me. They had gotten close, and we ended up spending much more time with his daughter, Natalie, who also attended school with us. Strange, I hadn't noticed her in the courtyard when we returned.

"Rosemarie." The sound of my full name snapped me out of my memories and caused me to shy away for a moment before I could recover. I had never been close with Victor but I had heaps of respect for him, both for the struggle he faced with his health and the way he treated Lissa.

"Prince Dashkov," I replied, bowing my head slightly in recognition. He was one of the few people I respected enough to retain formalities with, even if he sometimes gave me strange vibes.

He gave me a chiding look that spoke against both the use of his title and the stunt we had pulled.

Kirova cleared her throat, calling attention back to the punishment at hand. She started into her tirade as soon as we were both seated. It hit all the big points we were accustomed to, or at least I was accustomed to. Lissa was never in this room unless she was bailing me out of some trouble or being praised for some accomplishment. I zoned out, only hearing the big words like 'responsibility', 'dangerous', and 'respect for the throne'. It wasn't until she turned those beady eyes on me that I knew I was in for it.

"Rosemarie," she said sternly, causing me to cringe. "Your constant insubordination, defiance of practice, destruction of property, and now kidnapping and endangerment of a Royal leaves me with no options. While Princess Vasilisa must remain here in accordance with the Queen's request, there is no such obligation to retain you at this school. Since your departure last spring, you have since been expelled and will be returned to your mother in California."

Fuck.

Silence followed her castigation. My heart was in my throat and I was a second from exploding. Alberta beat me to it.

"Headmistress Kirova, with respect, isn't that punishment a bit one sided. Both girls are responsible for their disappearing act. It seems a bit slanted against Miss Hathaw-"

Kirova cut her off," Nonsense. Rosemarie is clearly the one who orchestrated the crime, just as she has planed every other. She has constantly corrupted Miss Dragomir since the day they met and it's about time the issue is handled. Of course I'm not so forgiving I would forget Lissa's role in the plot, and for her digression she will have detention for the remainder of the semester. One hour after classes in the Clinic."

My rage peaked, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME! YOU'RE SENDING ME TO MY PERSONAL HELL BECAUSE I DEIGNED TO KEEP LISS SAFE!" Still red in the face I returned to a calmer, more deadly vocal range. "We left so she would be safe, not like you would understand." Then to myself, "None of you would understand."

Replying in the quiet that followed my explosion, Kirova calmly stated, "I fail to see how a life on the run with no Guardians, no safety wards, and no protection is preferable to life here. Your impulsive nature, as evidenced by your little explosion here, just goes to prove my point nicely. Unless you can point out the flaws in my security detail my decision stands."

The ring of finality in her words kept up a numbing buzz in my ears. The silent crashing of the sky into the earth was interrupted by soothing velvet.

"They're bonded," Belikov said, pushing himself off the wall. Reaching his full height he truly presented an impressive figure. "They've been using it to communicate this entire time." Without looking I could feel his gaze burning up my face. I felt relief as Kirova spoke, drawing his gaze away.

"You have to be joking. Bonded? That hasn't been heard of in centuries, and then only between Moroi and Guardians. I fail to see how this could be the situation."

' _Rose, what do you want to do? Do we tell them? I know you didn't want to mention it but this could keep you here_.' Lissa's 'voice' was urgent in my ear.

Flashing my eyes, I tried to subtly shake my head in her direction. I wasn't sure that now was the time to get into how crazy our situation had become. Plus, it had become rather personal, and I wasn't sure I wanted to share my 'gift' with the likes of Kirova and Prince Dashkov.

"They're doing it right now." Belikov's voice cut through Lissa's mental tirade. A slight hiss escaped my lips and my eyes cut his, standing to our side. The air between us was tense and I found myself unable to look away. Cutting into the tension, Prince Dashkov spoke up, "Well then this bond must be nurtured. I will be the first to admit that this is unheard of in our time but the stories are clear. A bonded pair is the sign of an era of change and represents a very close relationship. I'm sure none of us doubt how close Vasilisa and Rosemarie have become. Miss Hathaway must remain here at St. Vlads."

I almost laughed out loud at the expression on Kirova's face. Knowing me well, Lissa spoke up to bridge the silence. "Headmistress, if I may. Rosemarie is a fundamental part of my life." I felt a strange stirring in the air with her words. "We both were out of line but lets not dip outside of reason. We understandably must be disciplined, but that can be done on campus grounds."

Alberta then took over, "Yes, perhaps a little incentive to not break the rules. It is their senior year. Perhaps if we expose Rose to more of the Guardian lifestyle she might have a greater appreciation for the struggle our job represents. Put her in some of the physical application classes, perhaps a ... 'rougher' ... education is called for." She spoke with a smirk on her face that matched my own internal cheering. There's no way they could have known I'd been training on the side all my life.

"You expect me to put a Moroi in a Dhampir course? I can't imagine the backlash that would receive if it's heard we're giving our students corporal punishment," Kirova spoke, still not convinced.

Lissa once again spoke and the air shifted again, "Of course this would just be physical exercise, you know how we loathe that." Her smile was set in stone but hopefully only looked fake to me.

"I think other punishment is still in order," Kirova pushed, but it still couldn't stop Lissa's mental explosion of joy that matched my own. "Just as the Princess will be serving detention so shall Miss Hathaway." The cruel smile on her face broadened as my hopes began to plummet. "I think two hours of detention after classes is called for. One cleaning the gym after the final Dhampir classes and one in the kitchen after dinner."

A blessing and a curse then. She didn't know that I was rejoicing in the free gym time she was giving me but cleaning dishes was gonna suck ass. I would have argued if I didn't have Lissa screaming at me to keep my mouth shut.

We murmured our gratitude as we stood to leave. On our way out Kirova gave a few parting words, "Classes start tomorrow. I hope you enjoy the course-load I've chosen for you."

Groaning under my breath I practically ripped Lissa's arm off dragging her out of the office. When we were out of there I couldn't help the smile that broke out on my face. It was part relief and part spill-over from the never ending torrent of happiness bubbling out of Lissa.

'Food?' she asked as I turned to her.

"Food," I confirmed with a smile. I knew from her mind she wasn't talking about pizza and we hadn't had fresh quality in a year.

Extending my hand with a bow I said, "Madam, your carriage awaits." She giggled at my terrible fake accent before glancing over her shoulder.

'We've got company,' she thought. I followed her line of sight to see Belikov was still trailing us.

I caught her eyes as she turned back to me. "Then I guess we're gonna have to give him a run for his money." I had an evil glint in my eye and a smirk on my lips.

Laughing once more she took my hand and hopped up on my back. She was light, so it wasn't too difficult to carry her piggyback style but I lightened my load with a little help from my magic. Using the same to add speed to my steps I took off at a sprint towards the feeder's. I was still pretty exhausted from the last 48 hours and was therefore a little slow but my takeoff was still enough to surprise Belikov.

Laughing as Lissa dismounted, I turned to our guard as he sprinted up. Sliding my hip out in a pose that made me look badass, if I do say so myself, I gave him an unassuming smile. "Having trouble keeping up, Comrade?" Damn, he wasn't even out of breath.

Without giving me a second glance he addressed Lissa, "Will we be stopping at the dinning hall after this?"

I huffed in annoyance at his disregard. Lissa made a face but was chuckling in my head. "No, back to the dorms I think. Will we have the pleasure of your company for the rest of the night Guardian... Belikov, right?"

"Dimitri Belikov," he said with a slight bow. Oh he has a name. "And only until it is confirmed that there is no threat to your security from yourself..." he turned to look at me and continued, "or others."

"Oh don't give me that shit Dimitri, I did a fine ass job keeping her safe out there." He really knew how to push my buttons, I was already starting to heat up.

He chuckled at that. "Oh really. From what I saw you couldn't make it out of an encounter with one Guardian. What would have happened if you had run into a Strigoi? What you did was reckless," oh no he didn't, "and directly endangered the Princess." I had complete tunnel vision on this asshole's face and my vision was turning red. He wanted a fight, he was gonna get it.

Touching my face below my eye right where his scar was still barely visible, I pouted and said, "It seems my methods were enough to knock you on your ass. Your face doing ok, Comrade?"

His guardian mask changed as his jaw tightened and a brief flash of embarrassment passed through his eyes. I thought I had scored a point before he flashed a snarky grin, "And as I recall your method's got you knocked on your butt and knocked out."

I was gearing up to smack him upside the head when Lissa grabbed my arm and jerked me towards the building. "Come on Rose, you're back for 30 minutes and already starting a fight?" Instantly I felt my anger fade.

"Well you know me Liss. It ain't a true party til we start our dick measuring contest." I laughed out loud as discomfort passed over her face. I resisted the urge to turn around and poke my tongue out at Dimitri.

I smiled. We were back, and I'd be damned if we weren't going to make a splash.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Hey guys, thanks everyone who left a review. Special thanks to Miss Ruthless for helping me flesh out what type of Dimitri I was writing into my story and lovesmesomedanilalol for the inspiration their stories bring me :) Enjoy and feel free to review or start a conversation with me, I'm always down to chat. - Carot_

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I sat back in my chair, sated for the first time in what felt like forever. I loved food, it was my passion, my muse, and walking into the feeders had felt like coming home after a long day at work. I always knew a wholesome, healthy meal was right behind the curtain.

With a smile on my face that had been missing for the past year, I languidly rose and walked over to the service table. Grabbing a pineapple juice can and three cookies off the tray with a napkin, I turned around to see Gretchen still reclined in a blissed-out pose. I chuckled slowly as I walked back over thinking of the strange relationships that form between Moroi and the feeders. She roused herself at the noise, giving me the sweetest smile as she took the cookies and juice off my hands. "You know, you're one of the only ones that remember that pineapple is my favorite."

I smiled in return. Gretchen was a good friend, always willing to listen to my woes, and we had developed a good relationship. "Anything for you, sugar," I said winking. "Plus, you always have the best cookies in the joint." I waggled my eyebrows and she joined me laughing.

"Hey Rose, how's it going?" Lissa popped her head into our room. "Gretchen! How are you? You haven't aged a day." Lissa was laying it on thick and from the expression Gretchen tossed my way, she knew it.

"Oh you know, same old, same old. Staying healthy, tasting good, bringing in the good cookies." She said that last bit with a smirk in my direction. I'm sure half the reason I liked her so much was because she had the good old Rose Hathaway humor.

Smiling politely, Lissa turned to me a spoke. "Well, Rose, if you're all finished up I think its time we see what's happened to our room."

Narrowing my eyes I practically growled, "If they touched a single thing I'm gonna be pissed." Now urgent to see my stuff, I rushed out the door, calling goodbye to Gretchen over my shoulder. My haste was my downfall as I face-planted into the person standing on the opposite side of the door from Lissa. Rubbing my nose as I bounced off of a very hard chest, I glared at the offending body before raising my eyes up to see Dimitri's impassive face. "Geez Comrade, lay off the 'roids. If you're not careful you're gonna crush your girlfriend on accident."

He glanced down at me with a raised eyebrow but made no comment. Damn it pissed me off how cool he looked doing that. I glared before grabbing Lissa's arm and pulling her down the corridor.

She was mentally laughing at the way I looked rubbing my nose causing me to blush and yank her arm a little. I didn't need to turn around to know that Dimitri was following us.

The walk back to the dorms was short but we enjoyed it. Everyone was in class now so it was wonderfully peaceful. I caught Lissa thinking that she wanted to spend sometime just enjoying the scenery, maybe stop in at the church she would always retreat to, but I was of a one track mind. "Later," I said as we turned into the dorms.

I was impatient so I took the stairs three at a time, reaching the second floor that our room was on. Final door on the left, I chanted in my head. Turning the door I was hit with three emotions in rapid progression: confusion, sadness, and raging hot anger.

Half of the room looked identical. The left side had always been Lissa's, prim with pastel pinks and greens. Everything was soft and color coordinated just like Liss. Her side was exactly as I remembered it. Everything on the right was a complete mess. Clothes strewn everywhere, bed unmade, trash on the ground. None of this would have been surprising (that was exactly how I left it) if any of the objects had been mine. It was like my entire presence had been scrubbed clean and replaced with a knockoff version of me. There weren't even posters hanging on the wall. Zoning in on the girl who was quickly picking herself up off her bed the truth became clear. Rose Hathaway had been replaced by Natalie Dashkov.

I felt my anger rising. They replaced me?! Lissa and I had shared a room since we had met. Every plan that we (I) had ever hatched had happened in our room. Lissa was my sister, and while we would still see each other everyday it hurt to feel the separation they were already forcing on us. They had dealt a bigger blow than they knew, but I wasn't going to let it show. I slammed on my calm mask, made an about face and walked right up to Belikov.

Confusion and then sympathy flashed across his face as Lissa ranted from the room, questioning a poor Natalie about what she was doing in my bed.

"314," he murmured in a quiet voice. I nodded before heading over to the stairs. Taking them slower this time, but with just as much determination, I reached the third floor and proceeded to the last door on the left. It was positioned right above our old room as if to mock me further. I let out a sigh, releasing all of my emotions, and opened the door to a dingy single room. The items they had pulled from my room were placed haphazardly in boxes piled on top of my bed. I pulled them off before shoving them in a corner. I guess I'd be living out of them until I found the will to actually give a shit. Plopping down on the bed that they'd at least put my sheets on I tuned into the constant barrage of anger emanating form Lissa's head. Poor Belikov, Lissa was biting his head off for something that clearly wasn't his fault. I chuckled, recalling the words that Lissa would chant in my head when my anger got the best of me.

"If you waste your anger on the rain drop, what will you do about the flood?" I said to the ceiling. I released a sigh. I hadn't realized how tired I had gotten of the constant vigilance and the fitful sleeps that plagued while living on the run. Venting the emotion to the empty room felt good.

Rolling out of bed I padded over to the boxes in the corner and began putting some of the stuff up. I didn't have a ton of real estate to work with but I judiciously and meticulously organized my room.

Thirty minutes later I had my posters and clothes hung and Lissa had calmed down. Natalie was comforting her and I decided it was time to check back in with her, maybe cheer her up. There still weren't any people in the hallways. Only one guardian was stationed outside of Lissa's door, a petite figure I quickly recognized.

"Agent Starling!" I called from down the hall. A smile lit up her face as she turned to look at me.

"Dr. Lector. So the rumors are true, they managed to drag your butt back here," Monique chuckled. She was one of my favorite guardians and had been responsible for foiling quite a few of my plans before I left campus. We'd built up a good relationship. She looked just like Jodie Foster to me, so I picked her nickname accordingly.

"Well I have to let you guys win sometimes," I said, flashing a grin. "Am I allowed in or do I have to request permission from the head of the Guard?"

She shook her head while chuckling then pointed it in the direction of the door.

I waltzed in to find Liss still on her bed, Natalie wrapping an arm around her. "Aight mopey, time to get over yourself." Turning to Natalie I said, "Thanks for being here for her, but I'll take over for now."

Grabbing Lissa's wrist and dragging her over to the large casement window I began to crank it open all the way.

"Can't we ever just leave the normal way," Lissa groaned as I got up on the sill. I shushed her. I peaked down to check that the tall hedges were still in place before turned back towards Liss.

"Never," I said, grinning evilly as I fell backwards. After eating earlier I felt much better, and the magic required to soften the fall was easy for me to manage. I could see Liss looking down from the window doubtfully. She loosed a small yelp as I pushed her out the window with a small burst, again repeating the magic that landed me softly on the hedge. As she rolled to the ground beside me I met her scowl with a wicked grin.

Linking my arms in hers I said, "Come on. We're not really back until we've snuck out once." She held her scowl but in her head she was laughing right along side me.

We took a nice long walk, keeping to the shadows. The routine sweeps of the guards on campus hadn't changed in the slightest and it wasn't very difficult to lead Lissa past them every 15 minutes. We stopped in the chapel, saying hello to the minister organizing in the back. Lissa climbed the steps to the attic/storage closet. I felt the peace that being back here brought her and smiled to myself as I sat down in the pews waiting for her. I didn't particularly ascribe to any given religion but I appreciated the symbolism and necessity of it. We all needed something to believe in, even if we were believing there was nothing to believe. I was puzzling out if what I was thinking even made sense when a flash of panic shot to me through the bond. I was on my feet and sprinting up the stairs when I heard a voice that wasn't Lissa's coming from the attic.

I burst through to see Lissa talking to someone sitting in the far corner hidden by the bookshelves.

"And I'm telling you, I was here first. I think leaving the school negates whatever hold you think you had on this place, Princess," the voice was saying with a sarcastic bite to it. It sounded vaguely familiar but it wasn't until I turned the corner that I understood.

"Ozera! I'm surprised they even let you in here. You tryin' to mess with my girl, buddy?" My tone was less than amicable. Christian had a bad reputation around school. His parents had willing turned Strigoi and people seemed worried that he contracted the same 'disease' and that he was about to go off at any time. Pft, people are ridiculous. I merely avoided him because I hated all people on principle.

"Hathaway! Just who I never wanted to see again. Just couldn't stay gone, eh?" He spoke with that abominable one eyebrow up smirk that I loathed. What was with everyone today and their expressive eyebrows?

"And leave you here to terrorize the school on your own? Never." Turning to Liss I said, "Liss lets go, it seems the study has collected quite a bit of trash in our absence."

I couldn't decipher the emotions she was chewing on but the glare she sent Christian's way before we left said enough.

We continued our walk until it was about thirty minutes until dinner. I decided to take the moral high ground and return to collect Lissa's lapdog before going to dinner. Walking down the hall we saw that the guard had changed once more and Belikov was back at the door.

"Comrade! I was wondering where you went," I spoke with a broad smile on my face.

Turning his face to look down the hall at us I saw confusion and anger flash across his face. "I wasn't aware that you stepped out Princess."

We were at her door by that point and I patted him on the shoulder as Lissa unlocked the door. I meant it to be casual but man was this guy tall, I had to stretch a little to get my arm up that high. Keeping the emotions out of my voice I said, "That is generally what sneaking out is all about." Chuckling, I followed Lissa into her room.

"I don't think I'm ready to face that yet," Lissa said with her face down turned. Her emotions had done a complete 180 once she entered the room. Natalie was nowhere to be found. From her thoughts I could tell that she was thinking back to what we went through coming in. I might pretend to embrace the fame coming back to school would bring me, but I knew that the next few days were going to be exhausting. I gave her a tight hug before telling her I would take care of it. I passed out of her room, this time in silence and began the short trek over to the cafeteria. It was still too early for dinner, so only a few faculty and students were sitting down. I didn't see anyone I recognized so I slipped through the doors to the kitchen. Normally I would only be coming in here after hours to steal a snack but I still had good relationships with a few of the people who worked back here. There was a constant bustle as the workers were prepping everything for dinner.

"I'm back," I said in a sing-song tone. Smiling when my friends turned and started walking towards me. Lafayette reached me first, scooping me into a hug.

"Lala, I missed you and your amazing cooking."

Smiling, he replied, "No one has an appetite for my cooking like you do, baby girl."

"Have you been eating, you're thin as a rod," an older woman exclaimed, pinching my cheeks. I gave her a sassy look before giving her a hug as well.

"You know as well as I that you're the only one to call me 'thin', Sherry," I laughed out; a 'nonsense' look crossed her face. I had the characteristic Moroi build but my love food and the exercise regimen had added a bit of bulk.

Smiling at both of them I said, "I'm here to pick up something to go, Lissa's not quite up for the whole shebang yet."

"A double delux, coming right up," Lafayette tossed over his shoulder as he began to pack up two to-go containers to the brim. "I put some double-chocolate chips on top, just for you sugar."

I hugged them both before returning to Lissa with our bounty. Seeing Dimitri at the door again I decided to take pity on him. He was saddled with the impossible task which was keeping an eye on the notorious Lissa/Rose combo.

Breaking off half a cookie as I walked up I tossed it to him saying, "Take a load off Comrade, we're not going anywhere tonight."

I couldn't quite make out what he said but I thought he mumbled something about not trusting me under his breath.

I laughed as I heard a grunt of appreciation for the wonderful cookies as I closed the door to Lissa's room. Just as I'd said, we didn't go anywhere else that night. We looked over our schedules for the next day, commiserating over the pitiful number we had together, before separating for the night.

As I passed him, Dimitri spoke up. "Thanks for the cookie, Miss Hathaway."

Flashing a small smile I patted his shoulder like I had earlier. "Rose, big guy, just call me Rose."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I own nothing except the things that I do, which is mainly my disgust with waking up, my love of cinnamon sugar, and my fascination with food. Enjoy!_

Evening was a beautiful time on campus. The sun was wrapping itself in a blanket of clouds as it began dipping below the horizon, saturating the sky in hues of orange and pink. The peaceful campus was beginning to stir with life as students began preparing for classes.

And I was faceplanted on the ground besides my bed in a tangled heap of blanket.

Great.

The cherry on top came with the loud beeping of my alarm clock that was well beyond my reach from my new position on the floor. For a moment I considered slidding my pillow from my bed and falling back asleep on my new floor-bed, abnoxious beeping be damned. I was just reaching for the fluffy goodness when Lissa shouted in my head 'Rose! You better be getting up! Its already 7:30!'

Groaning to my empty room I flailed my legs until they were free of their confines. With eyes still half closed I managed to smack my alarm clock into submission and make it to the bathroom. I turned on the shower full blast. Under the hot spray, I felt myself drifting once again. I leaned my forehead against the shower wall, the cold from the tile permeating my morning haze. After another mental rap from Lissa I quickly finished up and stepped out into the now steamy bathroom. With quick swipes I cleared a face-high swatch on the mirror. Sleepy brown eyes stared back at me and I watched them blink for a few moments before shaking my head clear of the remaining morning fog. I checked my neck to see if there was any sign of Lissa's last feeding and was satisfied to find nothing with either my eyes or my fingers.

By the time I had blow-dried and styled my hair Lissa was waiting at my door with a reproachful glare. I stuck my tongue out at her as I let her in. "It'll just take a second," I said flippantly.

After a quick application of makeup that was just flirting with the school policy guidelines I tossed on my uniform and dragged Liss out the door. Normally I would add a little rebellious-Rose flair by wearing one of my specialty shirts or a large necklace but I was too worn out this morning to care. I settled for hiking up my knee-length skirt to mid thigh. Lissa rolled her eyes when she saw what I was doing and I flashed a grin back.

We had settled into our normal routine of banter as we walked across campus to the cafeteria for breakfast, but Lissa cut herself off as the building came into view. She was practically exuding nerves and I reached out to sling a comforting arm over her shoulder.

' _What am I going to do Rose? I can't walk back into that? They'll eat me alive_.' Her steps had slowed during her mental rambling.

Giving her a swift hip-check I joked, "What? Afraid you'll have to come slum it at my table?"

Her response matched the pout on her lips. ' _You know its not like that Rose._ '

Ignoring the fact that it was exactly 'like that' I responded, "You know everyone loves you, Liss. You smile in their direction and the crowd goes wild." I punctuated my words with some energetic gestures. That got her to loosen up and we were still laughing to ourselves as I yanked the doors to the cafeteria open.

Being me and therefore chronically behind schedule we were arriving at the tail-end of the breakfast rush. Everyone was either in line for food or sprawling across the tables, chattering excitedly about the day's gossip or in other words, us. The ensuing hush that followed our arrival was almost comical in a straight-out-of-a-movie sort of way. It didn't help that I was still chuckling from what we were talking about outside.

I was just beginning to feel the tension return to Lissa's shoulders when a booming voice broke the silence.

"Rose Hathaway! The woman, the myth, the legend." I caught a flash of ginger sticking out from the side of the food line before I was barreling into Mase. He'd struck a power pose with his declaration and was waiting for me with open arms.

"Duckie!" I screamed as he wrapped me in a hug and spun me around. Mason was my best friend within the novices and it was him that I had thought of while on the run when I reminisced about what we had left behind. He had always been a tall kid, coming in at a couple inches above me, but in the year we had been gone Mason had really bulked up. I felt strong cords of muscle through the sleeves of his jacket and along his back where my arms were tightened. His face hadn't changed much at all though, still carrying a softness around his chin and jaw that spoke clearly of his age. I covered up my surprise and sadness with laughter as he let me down; my friends were growing up and for Dhampir, becoming an adult was a dangerous business.

"Aww, did somebody miss me?" he asked in a mocking, sugary tone.

In a overly serious tone I responded, "Darling, every minute away from you was a hell I could scarcely endure. I couldn't bear it any longer." As I spoke I slid one hand down to his shoulder and the other to his face. His arms, which had been loose around me tightened imperceptibly. "I just missed your ugly mug too much," I finished. At that, we both cracked up again and I mussed his red hair with the hand that had been on his face. I smirked at the light blush he was ducking his face to try and hide. Some things never changed. Turning so that I kept one arm around his shoulder, I inventoried the remainder of the group. Liss was still hanging back at the fringes but Eddie was stepping forward to greet me. I flashed a quick smile at Meredith, whom Eddie had been talking to, before being swept into another bone-crushing hug.

Eddie had also grown in the time we were away and the prospect again saddened me. My mood was lifted by his playful tone as he set me down and spoke up, "And here I'd thought they had to drag your ass back." And then under his breath just to me, "I heard you got knocked out, too."

I scowled and poked him in the side before forming my response. With a playful tone I responded, "Yeah but you should have seen the army they had to bring in to do it. I even knocked the big guy down in the process." Smiling at the thought, I scanned the perimeter for the large shadow that had been keeping Liss and I company for these past few days. I was surprised to find him stationed at the doors; he had his guardian mask on and was staring emotionlessly at the far wall but I swore I could see a slight tightening in his jaw. I didn't remember him behind us this morning and I had no clue what could be pissing him off. Could he have heard my comment from all the way over there?

Stepping closer to me and lowering his voice, Masen asked, incredulous, "Guardian Belikov? They sent that god after you? And you're not dead? Color me impressed, Rose."

With bravado I wrapped my arms around both their shoulders - it was a stretch - I led them back to the food line that had resumed its slow forward movement. "Well you know, I am amazing." Winking at them both I continued in a lighter tone, "Plus, I did have some pretty good teachers."

My grin widened when we got to the front of the line. Lala had pulled out all the stops for my first day back and had prepared his delicious cinnamon doughnuts. For a second, I contemplated murdering the group in front of us when a girl with an annoyingly perky ponytail took the last one, but my anger was salved by the appearance of a fresh batch. Lala winked at me and I blew him a kiss to convey my everlasting gratitude for hot, doughy goodness. His cinnamon sugar doughnuts were my favorite thing in the world after his chocolate cake.

The guys and I laughed and joked for the remainder of breakfast, even getting Lissa to eventually lighten up and join in the fun before having to split. Having these two greet me so openly was sure helping relieve some of the tension. Plus I knew that the way rumors spread around campus that pretty soon everyone would see our stunt as legendary instead of pathetic. I knew that this wouldn't really help with the Moroi crowd all that much, but I had never really cared too much about what they thought. The bitches would still hate me, the man-whores would still drool over me, and my friends would still welcome me with open arms.

The thought kept me happy all the way until the warning bell rang for first period, dragging us out of our happy stupor. I glanced at Lissa and groaned as I saw my un-enthused pout mirrored on her face. We had avoided talking about classes all last night and this morning in an effort to put it off but now we were most definitely going separate ways.

Knowing I wouldn't be seeing her until 3rd - Kirova would never willing put us in the same classes - I gave her a quick hug before trailing off to find my classrooms. I groaned once more when I rechecked my schedule.

1st - Pre-Calculus

2nd - Russian 1

3rd - Slavic Art

4th - Moroi Culture 4

-Lunch-

5th - Advanced Elemental Control & Application - Air

6th - Bodyguard Theory & Personal Protection

7th - Weight Training & Conditioning

8th - Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques

I was still looking down at my course list when someone came up and bumped me in the shoulder. Caught off guard I stumbled a step before turning to the perpetrator with a scowl. My anger dissapaited when I saw Monique grinning back.

Raising both eyebrows I taunted, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Starling? Have you been saddled with the impossible Rose Hathaway two days in a row?"

Narrowing her eyes at me she responded with vindicaiton, "Well somebody got me in trouble last night when they waltzed out on my watch. I caught an earful for that little stunt, missy."

I flashed an evil grin but felt somewhat remorseful for landing her in trouble. " I dare say I've never waltzed a day in my life."

"Yeah, I know," she muttered to herself. I tried to hipcheck her in response but she was too quick for it, causing me to stumble once more.

Laughing, she asked to see my schedule as we walked up to the door for Pre-Calculus. Groaning in commiseration she took her place against the back wall as I slumped into a seat in the corner. I wasn't going to willing stand up front and wait for some wholly embarrassing introduction by the teacher. Maths was going to be annoying enough - especially with it being my first class - without me fully hating the professor. The teacher walked in, one I didn't recognize, and led the class without so much as an extra glance in my direction. I muttered my thanks to the heavens before passing the class in a blissful state of inattentive boredom. Russian passed much the same way. I chatted with a few of my classmates in each class, which overall seemed to help reduce more of the tension. I was beginning to feel bad for Monique, though, for having to basically take my boring ass class load as well, but the thought flew out the door when second period ended.

Waltzing into my third class, Slavic Art, was a pleasant surprise. I appreciated the teacher, Ms. Carroway, for her limitless supply of sarcasm and good humor. It helped that Lissa was also in this class. While she had made her way to the front to introduce her presence to the teacher I simply sent a wave in their direction before heading for the two open seats in the back. As boring as the subject material was, I had a feeling this might become one of my favorites. A few words with Lissa as she sat down reminded me that we would not be sharing Moroi Cuture in the next period but I brightened as she told me she thought that Ms. Karp was supposed to teach it. Ms. Karp wasn't my favorite teacher but her class was always... interesting. She was one of those kinda-crazy-cat-lady-vibe women. She muttered to herself a lot, she always acted paranoid, and she walked around the school after hours. In the sun. Her weirdness definitely fueled a fair number of jokes, which was going to have to be good enough if I couldn't have Lissa in another class.

Except for the slight problem wherein Karp was not standing in the front or walking around closing the blinds on the windows. No. Kirova was up at the front, having started class a minute early. She made some snarky remark about me being late and how it would effect my grade but I was in too much shock to register to formulate a comeback. I reminisced on a time when I thought Pre-Calc was going to be my worst class and plotted out how I was going to survive this new horror. My classmates returned my questions about Ms. Karp with confused looks; apparently, she hadn't been teaching for just over half a year and no one knew where she was. I forgot about it quickly and braced myself against reality that was the remainder of my school day.

But first, FOOD!

I knew Lissa was planning to drop by the feeders for lunch - back to her normal schedule - and I felt a strange mixture of relief and remorse course through me at the realization. A small part of me would miss the feel of the bite, but that was a thought I pushed deep to the back of my mind. I wouldn't miss the weak, drained feeling I always got afterwards and I was definitely happy she would once again be getting a reliable source of healthy blood. No I think what I would missed, and already did miss, was the sense of reliance she had for me while we were had always been close, like sisters, but outside I felt responsible for her and that had made me happy. I didn't look forward to the distance being back at school would place between us.

Shaking myself of my morose thoughts I jumped in line and smiled when I saw another one of my favorites: cracklin' chicken. It was meaty and fatty and all the delicious things that told me it was unhealthy without it really being so. Most Moroi had appetites of supermodels without all the willpower and calorie counting. A gene that had apparently skipped me, however, because I could eat like I was coming off of a thirty day fast. I guess it was a good thing that the Moroi metabolism hadn't also bypassed my generation (and that I was about to be upping my physical activity) because I made sure to graphically express my love of Sherry's cooking both when she served me and later when I was eating it. She chuckled at my enthusiasm but dampened my mood when she reminded me of who would be doing the dishes tonight. I groaned but my dedication to the food would not be contained. I think I even managed to scare a couple first years who had apparently never heard the rumors about me and my stomach. At the last moment I realized that eating a very large meal before exercising maybe wasn't my brightest move but I figured the food baby would have passed by the time I had to do anything serious.

When the bell rang for the end of lunch I wobbled down the halls happy both from the content fullness saturating my mood and the prospect of the one class I might actually enjoy. Time to whip up some magic.

* * *

AN: Apologies for any of my terrible puns. I am, after all, my father's daughter. Trust me, they hurt me as much as you. Thank you, again, to all the reviewers. I came to the conclusion that using the reply function doesn't work (as every author ever has mentioned) and have taken to returning your comments via PM. Again if you have any questions or comments, please let me know, I love gushing about this fandom as much as the next reader. What do you guys think about that course-load? Who do you think might be the teachers? I'm waggling my eyebrows at that last question, so drop me a comment and your dreams might just come true, haha.

Til next time,

Carot


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: I own nothing except the random extras and the crazy things they do._

I know it seems cliche but I swear, Mr. Clarvel's classroom smells like magic. There was a constant hint of a breeze that playfully rustled loose papers and ran it's fingers through wisps of hair and always smelled lightly of sweet lemongrass. I tilted my head back as I waited for class to start from my seat and basked in the feelings it evoked. Mr. Clarvel had also taught the introductory specialization classes for Air which I had been taking before Liss and I had to leave. The layout and students in the classroom hadn't changed all that much in my time away, though that wasn't all that surprising. Most people specialized by their Junior year.

My face instantly morphed into a frown as I thought of Lissa. Like all Moroi she had a basic control of all the elements, but a specialization had yet to manifest in either the time before or during our escapades. No instead Lissa, the special princess that she was, had developed a wholly different power. It left her completely drained when she used it, so we hadn't really experimented with it much, but she seemed to posses the ability to speed up the body's natural healing process. We had toyed with different possibilities: maybe she had manifested Earth to such an extent that she was in tune with the natural bodies around her or maybe she specialized in a facet of Water that allowed her to manipulate the liquid components of the body's healing pathway. With each new possibility we tested a new magic but always came up short. She never said that it had bothered her, not having a specialization, and I was always supportive of her, but I could tell from the bond that it troubled us both.

Some combination of thinking of Lissa, feeling the breeze, and the scent of lemongrass was tickling at a memory that was just out of reach. I cocked my head, trying to follow the mental pattern that brought it up, but in a instant the door to the classroom was opened and the memory slipped away as if escaping past whoever was walking in. My head snapped back up, a grimace of annoyance and disappointment evident on my face.

The sight of Mr. Clarvel walking into the room did wonders to reverse my mood, however. He was a tall, spindly Moroi in his mid fifties which of course meant he didn't look a day over forty. His appearance was always comical, from his too-short pants to his fruit patterned socks and his un-tucked Hawaiian shirt. He looked like the type of person no one took seriously and was therefore one of my favorite teachers. The fact that he tended to use his magic more freely than any other Moroi I had ever met just added to his charm.

He sped over to his desk, depositing the armful of junk he always dragged around and clapping his hands to bring the class to attention.

"Alright. Here We Go." Turning to me he flashed a welcoming smile. "Rose, always a welcome face." His gaze quickly bounced in another direction. "Marcel, why don't you fill the rest of the class in on what we are practicing today."

Marcel, who was clearly not paying attention - rude - quickly untangled his legs from atop his desk and sat at attention as he muttered something under his breath.

Mr. Clarvel, impatient and scatter-brained as always, said, "Right, right. I'm not even sure what we're doing. Lets check the bag of tricks." Once more he sped over to his desk and quickly but haphazardly sorted through it until he found a light blue bag. Dumping the contents on his desk I felt the air stir as he said, "Feathers..."

He tilted his head to the side as he regarded their floating forms. He was keeping them aloft with just the right amount of air pressure so that they hung in space instead of bouncing up and down. For a second I thought he was enraptured by his own creation - the floating feathers could almost pass as a work of art - but he quickly snapped back to task as a small breeze from the open windows muddled the display. Sending the feathers in the direction of his students he continued his instructions.

"Alright students. Everyone grab a feather. Your goal for the day is to perfectly balance it like I just did. I know we have worked on floating objects before but the feather is a non-symmetrical object with unbalanced weight distribution which should add an added challenge. And someone close the windows!" He tossed that last bit over his shoulder as he returned to his desk, plopped down and proceeded to play with his own feather. As if on a whim he concluded, "Oh and there will be an end of week quiz about this, so no slacking." He flashed a bemused look towards Marcel and his friends before resuming his previous actions.

Chuckling to myself I took the nearest feather in hand. I had plenty of experience with other applications, like sound dampening and speed boosts, but all of those things I had experimented with while on the run. This seemed tame in comparison.

I zeroed in on the feather in my hand. Even with the windows closed the gentle breeze wanted to pluck the feather right out of my grasp and toss it about. Exhaling, I summoned a small burst to launch it in the air. I figured that once it was in the air, it would be easier to manipulate.

Well either I miscalculated the force necessary or the effort I was putting in when I actually concentrated on something, because the feather shot right up into the air where another current took it halfway across the classroom. Luckily, there were feathers everywhere and it seemed like no one really saw what I did. Grabbing another feather I tried again but got the same result. This time my embarrassment was doubled by an indelicate snort from somewhere behind me. Turning, I caught the haughty glance of what looked like an A+ mark personified. Javier I think his name was. His crisp uniform was perfectly buttoned and his beautiful face was marred by a slight grimace. Disdain was dripping from the set of his jaw and the shape of his mouth.

"What, Rose, all that time away and you still haven't learned control?"

I raised my eyebrows at the obvious hostility. Raising my right fist as if to lean my chin on it, I instead flicked him the bird and with it sent a sharp gust directly at his feather. I was aiming to knock it even farther than mine and had sent a fair bit of power at him. It was quite pointed and panic flashed through me at the thought that it could actually do some damage if it hit him or anyone else.

In the second before my lance could reach Javier the pressure in the room changed. Every feather hit the desk like it was made of lead. For the briefest moment I felt heavy like the air had turned solid and I was drowning in it before it once again lightened. I jumped when I realized that Mr. Clarvel had appeared in front of my desk. A disapproving frown had settled on his face and clearly marked his voice as he said, "Now, now. Lets save that for the quiz, kids." My confusion only lasted a second before his full attention had turned to me.

"Now Rose, I'm impressed by the power you're putting out but today we are working on control." I grimaced to myself as I settled back into my seat, facing the appropriate direction. I hadn't anticipated his lecture to continue, so I was reaching for another feather when I heard a small clinking on my desk. In a more private tone he said, "These should help fine tune your strength until you get more practice." I looked down to find two silver rings on the desk. They were fairly plain and of the same shape as wedding bands except one was the a size I thought might fit my smallest finger and the other looked almost too big for my thumb. I picked them up and instantly regretted my decision. I felt like I was once again suffocating and I opened my mouth to gasp for air. I felt stifled and suppressed as if the weight from moments ago had returned for only me. I dropped the rings back to the table top, watching them jump and ring with a lightness that betrayed their weight.

In a moment of complete eloquence I gasped, "What?"

Chuckling he patted me on the back before explaining. "Frightening, I know. The larger ring has a lesser effect than the smaller, but both function to suppress your power. They've been charmed to prevent magic use by the wearer. The weight you felt is what it feels like to be cut off from the magic that lives within you. Quite detestable, I know. They work by skin contact so I'd keep them in a pocket when you don't need them. For this class, I'd say the weaker one should help you with the finesse necessary for this task. As a precautionary warning, know that working with the ring will tire you out much quicker. An interesting way to build up endurance, I will say." He punctuated his final comment with a sharp laugh.

Still flabbergasted from the feeling, I reached for the larger ring while glaring at the smaller one as if it might jump out and attack me. As my fingers closed on metal, the same feeling overtook me, although it was much lighter this time. The urge to pant from the exertion was greatly reduced this time but I couldn't quite keep the strain from my voice when I asked, "Why, though. How?"

Confusion flashed across his face before he pieced together what I was asking.

"How did I know you would need it? Oh, I didn't. A report was sent out that you had used your magic during your capture and that it was a bit strong and... sharp." He chewed on the last word as if debating if he liked the taste of it before handing it out. I flashed back to the capture, which was a little fuzzy, but I did recall cutting Belikov with my magic. Had he told them I used offensive magic? Its not like it was illegal but it was definitely frowned upon. My internal musing were cut short when Mr. Clarvel continued.

"And there was a request that I give you the more powerful ring from one of your later instructors. They said you should wear it to every Dhampir class this semester until they say otherwise. I brought along the lighter in the event that today went exactly like it did." With that cheery remark he turned and bounded back to his desk.

I took a few more labored but calming breaths before focusing back on the feather. For the remainder of the time I focused on forcing the task with sheer willpower. He was right, using magic while wearing the ring was draining, and by the time the bell rang I felt so happy to be able to just slip it off my finger and into my pocket. Using the edge of my sleeve I scooped the other one in there as well, putting off wearing it until I was actually in class. In the absence of the ring and its suffocating effect, my emotions sprang back to life. My annoyance with Javier, my embarrassment for not being able to control the feather even when wearing the ring, and my apprehension about my upcoming classes for which I would not only be the outcast but would also be drowning under the force of my own personally crafted hell-ring. My gut twisted at the thought of putting the smaller one on, and I leaned my head forward to rest it on the desk for a minute as the rest of the class filed out. I groaned as I thought of the extra work this class was going to be.

I was the last one in the classroom at this point; Mr. Clarvel was always the first one out the door. The light breeze tossed around some remaining feathers and I grabbed one for later before noticing a stray peace of paper on the desk next to me. No one had sat there during class. Unfolding it in the event it was something important I should return to someone I saw a short note.

'If you can do it with a ring and a feather, you can work your way up to a rock. Try something simple and balanced, like paper, first. It'll get easier."

There was no name on it.

* * *

AN: Wow, back at it again for a double header. Thanks to MissRuthless for inspiring my to write a little bit more today. I had fun dipping my feet into the world of Moroi magic. What do you guys think? I love trying to logic out magic. Its a silly hopeless task that seems to fascinate me to no end.

Anyways... What do you guys think of pacing? I'm not boring you I hope :) We're getting through this day, I swear.

My undying gratitude to all my readers and especially my reviewers,

-Carot


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: For those of you that missed it, I uploaded Chapter 6 pretty late the same day as Chapter 5. Today we finish Rose's classes. As an aside, I own nothing except Rose's newfound maturity and Dimitri's sassy attitude._

* * *

I groaned. I moaned. I dragged my feet. I pleaded with the universe.

But nothing seeming to slow the inevitability of the rest of my day.

I had my head in the clouds as I walked to my first Dhampir class and it was proving to be a very stormy day up there.

First I had come to the realization that school is actually designed to torture me. Then I was forced to acknowledge my complete lack of control in what I had hoped would be my favorite class. I had promptly been saddled with soul-crushing jewelry heavy enough to turn even the bravest woman away. And to top it all off, I was walking into the very definition of 'not my job' to experience the biggest kill joy of my life.

I may have never taken a class from a Guardian before, but from the stories Mase and Eddie shared I knew that Stan Alto and I were going to get along like chocolate shakes and mayonaise (me being the chocolate shake, clearly). I paused before the entrance to hell with my hand on the door knob. I took a deep breath, feeling Monique's reassuring pat on my back. She had stuck with me thus far and while I'm sure she was unaware of how poorly this next class could go, I trusted her when she said, "You got this Rose. Knock'em dead."

Stepping over the threshold I immediately zeroed in on the back row of the classroom. If ever I needed to distance myself from the teacher it would be in Stan Alto's Bodyguard Theory & Personal Protection class. Relief filled me as I saw one seat left in the back, right next to my new favorite person in the world: Mason. I really shouldn't have been surprised - this was a senior level novice class - but I was happy to see him all the same. I immediately fled the front of the room in his direction. I had barely taken in Eddie's welcome face on the other side of the seat before a nasaly voice called to me from the front of the room.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Through sheer force of will I managed to hold my groan in as I turned back to face the front of the class. Judging from the snickers that erupted around me, I assumed my will power was not sufficient to contain the facial expression that I was also trying to keep in. Having wasted some time recuperating after my last class I knew I was behind the general rush of students in the hallways. Class was just about to start and with everyone else seated I knew that this particular query could only be directed at me.

I zeroed in on a middle-aged Dhampir who looked like he had spent his entire life fighting for the respect he thought he deserved and failing. Stress had caused a vein on his forehead to be permanently popped out and he was dressed in the crisp attire that all Guardians wore.

"Stan?" I guessed.

His eyes narrowed at the use of his first name. I mentally patted myself on the back for setting a new record in getting on my professors' nerves.

"Rosemarie Hathaway, I presume. I guess the rumors are more truthful than I thought. Please come to the front of the class."

I shivered in disgust at the use of my full name, but didn't bother correcting him. He wasn't the type of person to listen. I may be a Moroi and he may be a Dhampir but I was relegated to the position of 'critical disturbance of the peace' in the domain he ruled over. I took my time walking back to the front, causing the vein to dance.

"Well, Hathaway, it seems you've made quite a name for yourself around campus. Why don't you enlighten the class on your techniques for keeping Ms. Dragomir and yourself safe."

I stood rooted to the floor as embarassment painted my face red. "Techniques?" I queried back in a voice that by some marracle managed not to waver.

"Why of course. Clearly you left the safety and protection of St. Vladimir's because you had a more advanced plan for Moroi protection, one even you could implement. So enlighten us, what techniques did you use to stay prepared for a Strigoi attack?"

"W-We never faced any Strigoi." I said, shifting awkwardly on my feet. I was so out of my depth and I felt that every word out of my mouth was a direct insult to every single person in this room.

"Well of course you didn't. You made it back here so that much is obvious. No, I'm curious about the precausions you took."

His slimy, insulting tones were getting to me and as the anger flared in my stomach I decided I definetely did not want to deal with this shit right now. Once more I felt the air stir around me, but the scent of lemongrass and the images that it invoked were lost to the overriding power of my newfound backbone. Looking right up into his face I responded in a deadly calm voice.

"Mr. Alto, I know nothing about you or what could possibly put you in such a pissy mood so soon after the amazing lunch we had, but I am sorry for whatever has you so ticked off that you feel the need to take it out on someone who is here to learn. Clearly, I've never taken a novice class nor would I know any of the techniques you have taught, so asking me is only going to fulfill your depraved need to express control over me. Now," I paused briefly to take in the stunned expression on his face working hard not to break my streak with a giggle, "to sum it up: Yes, I know nothing. Yes, I am truly embarrassed by the display I put forth. Yes, I did get my ass thoroughly handed to me in the field by Guardian Belikov, god in disguise. No, I would not have been able to protect either Lissa or myself in the event of a Strigoi attack. Yes, I do have a lot to learn. And finally, yes, I do want to get this show on the road and actually learn something from the all encompassing greatness that is Stan Alto. So without further ado," I turned myself to address the class and in pandering, childish voice I said, "Hello class, my name is Rose Hathaway, my favorite color is blue, and in my free time I enjoy getting into heaps of trouble." I added in a sassy wink at the end to push it over the top. I prided myself on knowing that if I hadn't stunned the pants off of them they would be on the floor laughing.

By this point, Stan had composed himself but apparently, recognizing a losing battle, merely responded, "Well thank you, Miss Hathaway, for your gracious display of wisdom. Do see me after class for your punishment." His final words rung with a cold finality and I skittered back to my seat taking in the faces of every single Guardian in the room. I realized with sinking feeling that obliterated whatever pride I had padded my ego with, that I just admitted to all of my friends that the Guardian standing not ten feet away from my desk in the back of the class had knocked me the hell out. And I had called him a god.

I had completely forgotten the possibility that Dimitri might be guarding this classroom until I saw his stony face. He was staring straight ahead but I thought I saw a twitch of amusement in the corner of his mouth as my eyes passed over him. Even with the congradulatory and awefilled looks of my friends I couldn't help the blush that swallowed my face. I had learned to exercise some control but I still manage to say the stupidest shit when I get mad.

Alto somehow morphed the spectacle that was Rose Hathaway into a transition about remaining level headed and vigilant in the field. After I had calmed myself down, the rest of the class passed in a slow crawl; I found myself stuck in the Dhampir equivalent of Pre-Calculus. Some of the things mentioned were interesting, like when he started into the explanation of near and far guards, but his voice was just too good at lulling me off to sleep. Instead, I played absentmindedly with the rings in my pocket, experiencing the flow and ebb of my magical attunement. I know Mr. Clarvel had said to wear it in all of the novice classes but I couldn't imagine how paying even less attention to this class would benefit me in the long run. While it remained an intriguing new discovery that surpassed the excitement of Alto's class, I still wasn't keen on drowning under the pressing weight of the smaller ring.

Like a child, I poked and prodded this newest discovery until it made me sick. Mentally, I was still consumed by the note left in the last class. I hadn't recognized the handwritting but the letters were cleanly written with a flair that spoke of a feminine writter or a careful mind.

I turned these thoughts over like the ring in my hand, completely ignoring the attempts by my friends to interact. I know they had comments about the stunt I pulled but I was past it.

Or, I was past it until the bell rang and I had to return to the front to recieve my punishment from Stan. As the other students trailed out the door I seated myself on the desk opposite from where Stan stood, waiting for me. I prepared for the inevitable lecture.

He appraised me from where he stood, head cocked to the side.

"You're impulsive, insolent, and you completely ignored my lecture. From the faculty, I can tell that this behavior is par for the course with you. But, as you so kindly informed the class, you know nothing about Guardians or what we do. The three novice classes you have been enrolled in are meant to be a punishment for you, and I mean to take that beyond the physical effort that I have no doubt you will be forced to produce in your coming lessons. In my class you will learn the respect for me and my position that your privileged Moroi ass can't seem to comprehend." His threats were directed in a level voice that was effectively scaring the shit out of me. My bravado from earlier had vanished. "Now you joke about being sent to Kirova, but I have it on good authority that you are one infraction away from having your ass shipped out of here. While nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see you properly punished, it seems the normal channels won't work with you." With a threat like that I was almost expecting a physical blow to follow it up. Instead, he turned around to his desk and picked up a piece of paper. "I'm assigning you extra work to complete by Friday on top of the other general work required in my class. The sheet gives full instructions. If you fail to complete it to my satisfaction, I will send you to Kirova. If you act up in class again, I will send you to Kirova. If at any point I feel you are not allotting me the proper respect I deserve, I send you to Kirova." Each point was bitten off as if he was picturing my head between his teeth. Standing only a few feet from him, I suddenly became very aware of the fact that he stood a few inches taller than me.

Snatching the sheet of paper from his hand I turned tail, for once not even willing to haggle with my teacher about punishment. Its all fun and games when their are witnesses but man, alone, these Guardians were pretty intimidating.

Hurrying off to weight training, I praised the lord when I saw that class was going to be a regular lifting day. Everyone had already changed and made it back to the gym so it was a simple matter to slip in without anyone noticing my tardiness. This class was for the most part much less structured; two regular guardians circulated to keep watch and make sure everyone was preforming the correct exercises but there was no teacher. I ignored the rep goals written on the board and focused on picking up the routine I had been using on the outside. I was going for strength in the core muscle groups. I have no misconceptions about my limits - I'm never going to be capable of the same things a Dhampir is - but that doesn't mean I'm forced to forever be the damsel. Reality necessitates that my skills lie elsewhere, which is why I work my magic as much as my muscles.

I slipped into the comfort of routine, passing the hour long class seamlessly. I may have gotten some strange looks for the heaviness of the weights I was using, but I couldn't be bothered to care. Mason and Eddie kept up a steady stream of conversation between themselves and while I checked in every once in a while, my chat with Alto had really killed my mood. For the most part we stayed in separate rotations. I will admit that watching all the boys lift felt like a special treat; there's something delicious about watching muscles in action. I guess its the knowledge that no Moroi is ever going to look that toned which fans the interest between Moroi and Dhampir. By the time class was over I was panting pretty heavily from the exertion.

Regardless, it wasn't until I was filing into my final class for the day, Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques, that I considered that maybe I shouldn't have gone all out on the weights. It was just so nice to not have to think about a million things when exercising. I guess I got carried away.

Students were milling around, waiting for the teacher to appear, when I caught sight of Belikov sitting against a wall reading some type of book. It wasn't uncommon for off duty Guardians to exercise in the gym but I didn't think it had ever been used as a good reading spot. I sauntered over. I wanted to check that my earlier spectacle hadn't made anything too awkward. Plus I had a name to live up to.

Looking at the name on the spine I chuckled. "Westerns, Comrade? I wouldn't have pegged you for the reading type."

I watched as his left eyebrow slowly rose, but it was still a full thirty seconds before he sighed and looked at me over the top of his book. I stood in the ensuing silence, eventually fidgeting when he didn't respond. He took a slow, meaningful look at my hand, before returning his gaze to my face. When he did speak, I was surprised by the gruffness.

"It seems to me that you're missing a vital piece of your wardrobe. I would fetch it if I were you. I'm positive your teacher does not tolerate tardiness."

Does everyone know about those god damn rings. I didn't even know magic like that existed until three hours ago.

"It speaks..." I muttered as I turned and made my way back to the locker room at a leisurely pace. I had decided to only wear the rings when directly advised. By the time I made it back, class had clearly begun; every novice was paired up and preforming some time of jab/block partner move that looked remarkably like dancing. I stopped for a second, impressed by the fluidity of their movements and wanting to take a few minutes to prepare myself for the one/two combo of wearing the small ring while getting my ass handed to me.

Shaking myself back to attention, I scanned the room for the Guardian in charge, but none were present besides Belikov who was sitting in the exact same position. He had put his book down and was quietly observing the pairs. I walked over, prepared to ask who was in charge but unwilling to receive another silent reprimand. I stopped a few feet to his side and leaning against the wall, waited for him to acknowledge me.

"Ten laps." My eyes, which had been wandering across the pairs, snapped to his mouth, uncertain I had just heard what he said. He hadn't turned his head or acknowledged my presence in any other way.

"Excuse me?" I asked, incredulous.

This time, he turned to eye me, glancing at my hand to confirm I was wearing my accursed jewelry. Looking directly at my face this time, he reiterated, "Fifteen. Laps."

"So I'm not doing," I paused, gesturing to the flowing movements in front of me, "whatever that is."

I saw anger materialize in the tightening of his jaw, but his face and tone remained neutral. "Miss Hathaway-"

"Rose."

Looking resigned, he continued, "Rose. I only give my students what they can handle. Right now, I'm not even sure you can handle the basics. So yes, you are going to run, and you will keep running every day until I say you can stop." Under normal circumstances I would throw a fit but somewhere during this long ass day I lost the will to be a further fuck up.

So instead of giving voice to all the inpolite words floating through my head I kept my thoughts to a low grumble as I made my way to the door leading out to the track.

"Oh, and Rose. No magic." He dropped a pointed look at my hand.

Narrowing my eyes at him I pushed out the door to the empty track. At least there wouldn't be anyone to witness the disgusting blob of sweat I was about to turn into. I normally loved running; I assume speed was just one of those natural things that came to air users and I made sure to hone my skills of air running whenever I liked. But running without help was hell. Within three laps I was sweating like hell and toying with the idea of taking off my ring. By lap seven I desperately wanted to remove it but my desire to send a giant 'F U' to Belikov stayed my hand. ' _Can't handle the basics_ ' my ass. My body switched into sheer determination mode, giving me the second wind necessary to make it to lap twelve. I was so focused there could have been a strigoi attack and I wouldn't have stopped running. Every step felt like I was being pounded into the ground and I was sucking wind so hard that I could no longer keep up the verbal tirade of things I was going to do to Dimitri when I was done. My thoughts were reduced to short snipets made in time with my steps.

'Fuck. Him. Fuck. Running. Fuck. School. Fuck. Track.' And so on in a seeming never ending loop.

I was so zoned out that I barely had the wherewithal to slow down before collapsing after my final lap.

I stared at the sky as my body gasped for breath. My heartbeat was a constant pound in my head. I finally understood why Moroi had such a negative image of exercise. This had sucked major ass. Some part of me heard the approach of heavy boots but the majority of my body couldn't give a flying fuck.

"You know, I expected you to give up." I ignored the insult and continued to gasp, my mouth gaped open like a fish.

"You really shouldn't lie down, you'll cramp. Its best to walk it off."

"Fuck," gasp, gasp, gasp, "you." I continued to gaze unwavering at the sky as my body prepared to pass into the afterlife until a large figure blocked my view.

I glanced at his face as he spoke around a chuckle, "Come on. Up you go."

I barely managed a squeak before he grabbed my left hand and hauled. In some miraculous feat of strenght and grace he slipped my ring off my pinky and hauled me to a standing position. My head swam at my new upright position and I could only manage a groan as my legs began to give out on me.

"Whoops," he said as he quickly bent to scoop me up at the waist, hauling me over his shoulder like a bag of bricks. I got a nice view of ass but was too busy being outraged, exhausted, and stunned at the comfort taking my ring off had given me to voice a comment. When I managed to compose myself and slow my breathing I managed to get out a breathy, "Hey Caveman, you know this isn't what sweeping a girl off her feet means."

I felt a chuckle run through his body as I cataloged from my upside down state that he was walking me around the gym to the women's locker room door. While I was glad I didn't have to walk - I wasn't certain I could - this mode of transport was particularly jarring.

"I sincerely doubt you put much stock in first impressions," was his only comment. With the blood pooling in my head it took me a second to catalog his comment but as I did I reached out and smacked the only body part of his available to me. I felt a surge of satisfaction as his gait stuttered and he yelped. It was my turn to chuckle.

We were walking into the locker room now, which surprised me. Evidently I had either been running much more or much less time than I thought because it was empty. He heaved me off his shoulder into a seated position, the change in position and the resulting blood flow causing me to giggle with lightheadedness. He placed my ring on the bench next to me.

"Dimitri," I asked with a serious expression on my face, "are you the one who ordered these rings?"

He put a steadying hand on my shoulder to keep me from falling over.

"Yes. You seem to rely on your magic quite a bit. If you're going to be taking novice classes I won't allow you to use magic you can't even control."

I made a face at that. Switching tactics I said in a teasing tone, "Comrade, promise rings are a two way street."

When he just looked confused I sent him a wink. When he started blushing I laughed and shooed him out the room, telling him that I thought I could handle showering on my own.

He only grunted as he turned to leave,turning back to remind me with a sly grin on his face that I had cleaning duty in the gym.

My face remained in a permanent scrunch throughout my shower and as I changed, grabbed my ring and my bag and made my way back over to the gym. I managed to get back in time to hear the tail end of class.

Dimitri was standing in front of students, giving a few concluding remarks in a low voice that carried well through the gym.

"-learned today. Basics are the foundation to success. Guardian training will only take you so far in the field. If you are unlucky enough to encounter a Strigoi in person, I can tell you your initial reaction will be shock and fear. How you react in the few seconds after that could mean life or death. We hope that by drilling in these basic they become second nature, and its the instincts you develop now that will save your life then. Class dismissed."

I moved away from the door to avoid the incoming crowd and quickly grabbed a dry mop to start with the floor. I popped in my headphones, opting for my 'everything' playlist which started blasting Black Sabbath. Every movement hurt, but it was better now that I took the ring off and could supplement my movement magically. After a full day of pushing my limits though, every step was a struggle. I was taking it slow and I was only half way done when I realized someone had already finished the other half for me.

Looking up I saw Dimitri leaning on a mop against the far wall. I was surprised to see an amused smile lighting his face. He spoke up as I took my headphones out.

"I thought you deserved a reward for your hard work." I replied by leaning against my own mop and raising my eyebrows. Breaking out of his stance he chuckled and continued, "I was also willing to bet you were going to drop before finishing."

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm not that helpless, you know."

He stopped a few steps before me, a serious expression wiping the humor from his face. "I've noticed," was all he said. I mapped his face with my eyes, but any trace of the mark I had left had vanished. I felt relief and sadness in equal measure.

"You can be done," he said, before grabbing my mop and disappearing into the supply closet.

My thanks fell on an empty room.


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: I own nothing, not even Rose's obsession with food._

* * *

I was pretending to be a dead body when Lissa found me.

I was so wiped I had barely managed to make it back to the dorm and fall face first onto my bed. I was passing the time in mindless oblivion, but the gnawing hunger was starting to force me back to reality. I heard the knock at my door and knew it was Liss but couldn't manage more than a low groan. She opened the door a half second later, taking in my sprawled position with a chuckle. I turned my face, which had been smashed into the pillow, towards the room and opened one eye.

"I heard someone's had a ruff day." I groaned again, this time in agreement. She was standing just inside the doorway, one hand on her hip and the other holding something too high for me to see. A scent hit me and I closed my eye as I groaned a third time in appreciation. My new form of communication drew another chuckle from Liss.

It was something fried and salty alongside something sweet that I was praying was chocolate. I slid off my bed to the ground and began my best impression of a zombie as I crawled toward my goal. "Foooooooooooood."

Still chuckling she put the tray on my desk as she reached down to pull me up and deposit me in my seat.

My mouth watered at what greeted me. There were two equally large containers and after Liss had opened them I saw fish and chips in one and the other was overflowing with heavenly chocolate ambrosia. I was contemplating just diving face first into the container of brownies but Lissa snapped it back closed. "Dinner first, then I will willingly support your suicide attempt by chocolate."

I salivated for a moment longer before begrudgingly diving into the other container. For the next ten minutes the sounds in my room could have come straight out of a porno from the feeling this food was giving me.

After finishing every last bite, much to Lissa's amazement, I stretched backwards in my chair somewhat rejuvenated.

"Whatever did I do to deserve you?" I asked to the ceiling.

"A little birdy told me you may have overworked yourself today."

I looked back over to her in question.

"Mase. He said your last three classes were quite eventful."

"Uggggghhhhhh, don't get me started. First I had Clarvel for Air and I couldn't do shit. I almost took a kids head off when he was trying to mouth off. So Clarvel hands me these suppression ring thingys. I didn't even know those things existed. Says I need to work on 'finesse'. Psh. Except they feel like the kiss of death every time I wear them. And I was supposed to have em' on them in my last three classes. Like full time." It was a testament to how well she knew me that she didn't interrupt with questions and just nodded along. "And then Stan from Hell wants to make some example of me. And I'm like fuck that and fuck you, which he didn't take kindly too. So now I've got some crazy paper shit I have to do. Oh! And I told the hold class that I know nothing and Dimitri kicked my ass. And everything else... went ok." I ended my tirade on a lame note. I hadn't really thought too hard about my last class and until I knew how I felt about it I wasn't going to drag Liss into the mess. "How bout you? Detention go alright?"

"Yeah. Unlike you, my day went pretty smooth. Everyone," she paused and made a face, "acted exactly as anticipated. But I'm over their pettiness anyways. The clinic was fine; quiet for the most part. Uncle Victor stopped in; his cough is pretty bad." I reached out and dragged her into a hug. His decline had hit her hard.

"I just wish there was something I could do," she said in a small voice.

"I know hun, but all we can do is be there for him and Natalie." My heart broke for her; she was experiencing losing a parent all over again.

She sniffle/sighed and pulled back. Not meeting my eye she said, "Well there is that-"

"NO" I said in a loud voice. We both cringed at the sudden rebuke. I repeated myself in a calmer voice. "We left to keep it a secret. We don't even know how you do it or what the side effects are." Until we could figure out what her power was all about I wasn't willing to hand her out like candy.

"I know. I just feel selfish, holding back when I could be helping people."

"Hey, my gut has kept us out of trouble so far, lets trust it a little longer, ok?" I finally succeeded in catching her eyes. I saw indecision morph to a shaky certainty before she answered in the affirmative.

Wanting to get us away from that conversation, I groaned and rose to my full height. I pushed my stomach out - it didn't take much effort - and place one hand on my stomach with the other supporting my back.

"Dr. Dragomir, when am I due?" I wore a face of mock solemnity.

She looked up in confusion before scrunching up her nose. "I don't know and I definitely don't want to be around for the delivery."

Laughing I grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door.

"Common, Princess, you're going to escort me to detention."

'You got your jams?'

I gave her a sassy look that told her she already knew the answer. I didn't take a walk if I didn't have iPod in hand. We joked our way across campus. She left me at the entrance to the dining hall. I knew I would find her in her study before she said anything.

It was pretty empty when I entered. Looking at the clock, I was surprised to see I had been out for longer than I realized. Dinner had officially closed thirty minutes ago and the only people left were the stragglers who took forever to eat. Being the middle of the school week the cafeteria wouldn't be open for their 'Late Night' dessert special. I weaved my way through the tables and pulled my music out as I reached the kitchen doors.

On the central prep table was a small plate with a note covering it.

'Hey sugar, a little bird told me you had a rough day. Here's a little pick me up ;)

PS: Soundjack is on the far wall by the fridge. -L'

A small smile worked its way onto my lips as I popped the cookie on the plate into my mouth and meandered over to the jack. Plugging in my player, I decided to try my hand at Russian Roulette and shuffled to a random song. I shrugged as _Quesadilla_ by WALK THE MOON started playing; I had an eclectic taste in music. I started humming the beat as I turned to take inventory of my work for the night. I sent a silent thanks to Lafayette and Sherry for the light load of dishes I would have to do tonight. Lord knows they probably done all of them if they could get away with it. I wouldn't like this punishment but it definitely went down easier knowing I was indirectly helping my friends. I started singing the words as I drew up the hot, soapy water.

"...When I seen your long hair come down

It turned my head inside out

And I want you

I want you

I still do."

I couldn't help the little sway in my hips when I listened to my music. I didn't have a lot to shake but I didn't have nothing. The chore quickly became routine and that passed impressively quickly giving my tired and sore nature. I closed up quickly, hitting the lights on my way out and continuing to listen to the tirade of music that cycled from pop to punk, bringing with it a delicious cacophony of emotions. My music was tied so closely to my mood that I'm pretty sure I might punch someone out of the blue if the wrong song was playing.

I made it back to the dorms without incident, but just inside the door, trouble was waiting for both Liss and I. I hadn't really paid much attention to her through the bond at all today and I was realizing that my protective streak was slipping.

She was standing in front of a small group of Moroi looking like she had stumbled in to this situation much the same way I had. There was Aaron, looking the same shade of uncomfortable he always did. On his arm was pixie bitch spewing something with enough venom to transform her face from angelic to malevolent. I instantly popped myself next to Lissa, ripping out my headphones which stopped Jet mid guitar riff on _Cold Hard Bitch_. I only caught the end of what she was saying but it was enough to interject myself into the conversation.

"Is someone lost?" The pitch of her voice was nauseating. "I heard you prefer to sleep outside in the dirt now. It seems the rumors are true." She eyed Lissa with a sneer that turned startled as I appeared next to Lissa.

"If anyone's lost it's you, sweetheart. Did someone lose their Mommy?" Turning to Aaron I continued, "I think its time you escorted your little sister back to her room. It's past curfew for the kindergartners." I ignored the tiny Moroi as her face turned a startling shade of red. Tuning into Liss I could tell she was not up for the confrontation that was happening. "Let's go," I said, turning to her to start up the stairs.

"I don't think so," the high pitched voice said. Out of my peripherals I saw mini-bitch latch her perfectly manicured talons onto Lissa's arm. A small gasp escaped Lissa as she felt nails dig into her arm. It was brief thought, because her assailant found herself pushed back into the arms of an anxious looking Aaron. In the same moment a gust of wind knocked open the doorway behind us, making a loud bang as it connected with the wall. I could go from zero to sixty even when in the best of moods and the song I had been listening to already had me geared to go.

Fixing the startled pipsqueak with a level glare, I barred my fangs in a wide grin. I spoke in a calm voice as the wind swirled my long hair around my face. "Listen up, bitch. I've had a long, tiring day and I'm in no mood for this shit. You wanna play? I'll break you in half. I'd think your little rumor mill would have clued you in on who you're dealing with." My reputation at this school before leaving spoke to my short temper and penchant for solving issues with force. One of my not so nice moments had even led to someone breaking a bone. Judging from the fear on pixie's face, that reputation was still going strong.

She opened her mouth to give whatever weak retort she could muster when we were interrupted by the Guardian on duty. Where they were a minute ago when Lissa was being ganged up on was beyond me. "Everything all right over here?"

Flashing a wining smile I said, "Just commenting that someone really needs to clean up all the trash in the Common Area these days." I grabbed Lissa's arm and dragged her away from the group as they began to separate. "You ok? I'm sorry I was late to that."

"Just fed up with all the whispering. It was almost nice to have a confrontation."

I showed her a disbelieving look at that to which she responded with a noncommittal shrug. As we started up the stairs I pulled on her arm, begging her to slow down. I was exhausted and these stairs were from hell. "This is one of the times where I wished you worked out with me. Then you could carry me up the stairs."

She was in front of me, practically pulling me up when she paused and I felt a small tingle start in my hand. Instantly, some of the fatigue lifted. Realizing what she was doing I gasped and pulled my hand from her reach. She looked back down at me shocked only to meet my furious expression.

"I said no, Liss. Not until we know what the hell that is," I ground out. To her credit, she looked sheepish. My fatigue had lessened but it seemed to have jumped over to her. The hand not extended to me was gripping the rail tightly and I saw her sway briefly.

Sighing I said, "Let's just go." Making our way back to our old room, Liss pushed open the door to a very energetic Natalie neither of us were ready for. Being the chatterbox she was she instantly assaulted us with the day's drama. I didn't really care but the constant noise helped relieve some of the tension between Liss and I. Catching Natalie at one of the pauses she took to breath, I interjected with a question.

"Hey, who's that new chick on Aaron's arm?" I knew this would be a sensitive subject but I liked knowing who had death wishes out for me.

"Oh, that's Mia Renaldi. She's a year younger than us."

"Really, only that? I don't remember her," I said under my breath. In a louder voice I asked, "Any clue why she hates us?"

Natalie's green eyes turned pensive for a second. I almost chuckled when she pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and her fangs popped out. They disappeared again as she spoke. "All I can think is that it's about Aaron. I grunted my understanding but inside I wasn't mollified. That girl either had some serious anger issues or something else was going on.

Natalie continued on in the same fashion but I zoned out until I caught a glimpse of the time on Lissa's clock. I made a face when I saw it was already five past curfew. Cutting Natalie off mid-sentence I looked to Liss and told her it was time for me to get going.

Outside her door I met the disapproving glare of Guardian Belikov. Holding a finger up to my lips I said, "Ssshhh, it'll be our little secret." I flashed him a half smile and he seemed startled to see fang. Some Moroi, like Lissa, were a little afraid of smiling too wide but I found being back at school, where fangs were the normal, to be comforting. Maybe things had changed in our time away.

He walked me to the end of the hallway, obviously done guarding the room now that curfew was called and I was leaving. I wiggled my fingers in farewell when we reached the end of the hallway before turning to the stairs. I groaned my way up to my floor and I thought for a brief second that I could here a deep chuckle from the landing. I shivered and hurried back to my empty room, barely managing to change before I passed out.

* * *

 _AN: So, we are officially finished with Day 1 back at school. Days should pass a little bit quicker now that the schedule is out of the way but I'm planning on popped back into a couple class moments when things get... interesting._

 _On a different note, how are you guys liking Rose and her musical tastes. I've made the songs extremely varied as Rose always hit me as the type of person who listens to whatever sounds good. Have a song you think would make a good edition? Got some tracks Rose should dance around to? Let me know in the comments and you may find them included Rose's next jam session._

 _As always, thanks for the reviews and critiques._

 _Til next time,_

 _Carot_


	9. Chapter 9

_AN: ... (smiles sheepishly)... soooooooo... I'm back... I'll elaborate down below, but know I haven't gone anywhere... kinda..._

 _It's short (so sorry again) and I own nothing!_

* * *

My eyes snapped to the figure on the ground. The face was obscured by the man but the legs spoke of a gentle softness and the hair, golden blond and spread across pavement, told me my friend was splayed on the ground. My elusive voice found its way back to me and I screamed out her name even as the wind pushed me away. It tore at my clothes and whipped my hair from my face but I couldn't look away. My words were not unnoticed. The figure stiffened and glanced over its shoulder but remained unconcerned. Red eyes flashed in the night. Slowly, almost lovingly, it cradled Lissa's shoulders as it brought its head to her neck. I was screaming her name and the wind was howled in return.

"Rose! ROSE!"

"Rose!"

I was awake in an instant and my senses were on high alert. I felt a presence above me, a hand on my shoulders and I instantly dove off my bed onto the intruder. My eyes caught up a second later as we landed in a heap on the floor and a loud "Oooof" was expelled by my assailant. Propping myself up on my hands I took in who exactly it was that I tackled, and with a groan, I slid off of them onto the floor by their side.

"Liss, babe, have you learned nothing about waking me up in all the years you've known me."

Liss was still breathing a little heavy next to me. "Yeah, I've learned not to do it." I turned and stuck my tongue out at her. "I came to get you up but you were having a nightmare. You were practically screaming my name." She was looking at me with concern that dripped from her eyes and ringed her thoughts.

I sighed, rubbed my face, and finally got up. The quip I had ready to berate her worry streak stuck like peanut butter in the back of my throat as I took in the state of my room. On any given day, the lived-in state of my room could be slipped into a post-tornado image collage seamlessly, but there was an underlining order to the chaos. The current state of my room was a nightmare: papers strewn and clothes tossed everywhere. My closet was wide open with what appeared to be a clothes monster half crawling out of it. Lissa clearly wasn't surprised, even though I shouldn't have been able to deal this much damage in as little time we'd been back. No this looked like the wind from my dreams had come to visit. I shakily exhaled.

It was just a hyper-realistic, sadistic, every-day nightmare. No big deal.

Checking the time I saw I had just enough time to catch a quick shower before rushing for food. Snatching my phone off of my desk I rushed - or my zombie equivalent of rushed - to my bathroom, throwing my hair up as I stripped my pj's off. Turning it up full blast, I hoped in the shower and timed myself against the smooth voice of Leon Bridges' _Coming Home_.

"The world leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, girl..." I mumbled out as the hot water worked to loosen some of the knots in my muscles and ease my worries from this morning. Too soon, the song came to an end and I quickly washed off before rushing back out. I loved to take my time in the shower but I hated waking up early enough to afford to do so; I was a constant contradiction. Makeup was a quick affair, covering only the bare minimum I required to show my face in public. There wasn't much I could do to improve today's overall aesthetic of looking like absolute shit. I sighed, turning back to my room to face Lissa and the inevitable struggle today was going to be. She had to practically drag me around campus, a true surprise considering food waited at our destination. I took every opportunity to remind her I had used up all of my energy in my rude morning awakening. I chose to ignore whatever she mumbled under her breath in response.

Breakfast was a smoother affair than yesterday's had been. We were still the talk of the campus, but I had slipped right back into my friend group and Lissa had seemingly trailed in behind me. Our guard slipped in behind us, silent today as every other day. Today marked the return of my true love: waffles. It wasn't that I couldn't get them on the outside; there was just something special about the blackberry jam that could only be found in these halls. A sigh of happiness slipped out with every bite. My home was wherever good food could be found and I found myself once again begrudgingly calling St. Vlad's home. At least they got this much right.

Pre-calculus was the same sorry excuse for waking up early that it always was. Russian wasn't much better. We were already a little ways into the semester and were far enough past the basics of how to say hello that I couldn't really find it within myself to care. I did take the opportunity to pick my classmate's brain about some Russian swear words, but it seems all I could get out of them was something that sounded like 'suka, blyad' which should pretty much get the job done in any situation. I spent the remainder of class ignoring the professor and committing this new information to memory. Slavic Art passed smoothly again thanks to an interesting lecture and Lissa's presence. We were in the section concerned with various nature spirits and their depictions in art throughout the ages and I found the images stunning. But this class also passed, leading me to Kirova's Moroi Culture hell chamber. Of all my teachers, I could guarantee she would assign the most work and bore me with her monotonous teaching style. I was definitely not paying attention to her by the end of the lecture, choosing instead to try to finish as many assignments as I could before the bell rang. I had my head in my book, trying to concentrate over her nasally voice, when the synchronized scrapping of chairs signified my freedom.

I sprang from my seat, excited to stop by the feeders. My normal time was scheduled for the afternoons, but I had been so tired yesterday that I had forgotten to drop in. Figuring that I would face similar difficulties today I decided I'd try to beat the lunch rush and sneak in for a quick fix.

I made good time getting over to the clinic, skipping my way up to the front desk. The man working reception gave me a brief glare before penciling me in with Aris, another one of my regulars. Like any type of blood donation, humans were only allowed to donate every so often to maintain their health. As such, I had had the opportunity to taste a variety of donors and even made friends with a few of them. Aris was one of those few.

Throwing back the curtain on his stall, I fixed the man with a devious smile. He hadn't changed at all in the time I was away and I was glad to see he still looked healthy. He was a tall, blond man in his late twenties. From the stories he would tell me he had just finished high school when he realized that he wanted to see the world and explore the myths and beliefs of cultures around the world. I wasn't surprised that his adventures had led him to discover vampires, but I was still unclear how he wound up in Montana of all places. Regardless, he was here, he was good looking, and he was AB+ (my favorite flavor). His face brightened upon seeing me and he thoroughly hugged me back when I crashed into his arms.

"Rose! Its been too long! Tell, what stories do you bring from the wide world?"

I scrunched my nose at his question, unwilling to relive the recent capture Lissa and I had faced. "Ugggh, nothing nearly as fun as what you described. Of course we never did make it down to Latin America. We were last in Oregon, though. Lovely place, lots rain... and green... and Oregon." We both chuckled at that. "But tell me what you're still doing here. Last we spoke your year was up in June. You're supposed to be long gone, swinging from the vines down in the rain forest or some shenanigans."

A distant look crossed his face and he subconsciously reached out to scratch his left forearm. Multiple bandages indicated that he'd been donating more frequently. "I don't know Rose. I'm not sure there's anything left out there for me."

My heart broke watching him. I knew this was a reality of the Human/Moroi interaction: they got as much out of being our food as we got out of eating. But having been on the run with Lissa for so long and having access to blood bags made me forget what the bite did to people. I rubbed my own neck where the bite marks had long since faded. In small doses the bite was amazing, but after too long of exposure it became addicting. Like any addicting drug, prolonged use could derail your life and swallow your goals with need. It crushed me to see such a bright adventurous soul bent by the power of the bite. A finger in between my eyebrows startled me out of my thoughts.

"Enough of that love," he said as he smoothed out the worry lines there, "and enough of me. I remember how much you love your food, lets get you on your way." The guilt I felt wasn't enough to outweigh the hunger but I stiffened at the shiver of pleasure that passed down Aris's body as my fangs broke skin. I took from his wrist, careful not to reopen other puncture marks which would delay the healing process. He remained in a blissed out state even after I was done as I requested that the nurse give him his favorite oatmeal raisin cookies when he came to. Full but morose, I made my way out of the clinic.

* * *

AN: Okay, here's the sitch. Last weekend my brother got married (woo! congrats bro!) and I decided like a _lunatic_ that the wedding gift that I was going to give him and my soon to be sister was going to be a big blanket that I knit myself. Yes, I knit. It's a very relaxing past time and I would recommend though I wouldn't suggest knitting on a deadline. It never works out.

Needless to say, all of my free time went into knitting this present for like the entire week before. I had a completely different chapter partially written by that point, with quite a bit of Romitri going on, but when I really thought about it I was letting my impatience write the scene more than logic would dictate. I started this story from the beginning of VA which means I'm gonna need to take it slow, or at least finagle in some time jumps before I do anything too crazy with those two.

Instead I kinda sorta rewrote part of what you see above. And then, I got a job. I'm a recent college grad (last spring) and have been slowly looking for a job and I just landed one literally the Thursday before my brother's wedding. So these past two weeks have felt like non-stop _life_ has been going on. And for that I'm not really sorry.

What I will apologize for is the complete radio silence since my last update. I swear I haven't forgot about this story. I love my slightly more mature Rose and sassy Dimitri too much to really let go of them without at least giving them something juicy to do in their down time ( _wink wink_ ).

TLDR: I'm sorry about the long wait and the short chapter. This story might be more of a update every weekend deal now instead of the midweek updates I had going before but I am still writing it. Thanks for all the follows and comments since last chapter. It was nice to see those emails come in, even as I'm slaving away at my new job.

Questions? Comments? Let me know, I'd be happy to chat.

Til next time,

Carot


	10. Authors Note: Not A Chapter!

Hey guys!

Yup, this is not an actual chapter of what you want but this is a note to talk about something cool and awesome that's been going on. For those of you who aren't aware or who may have forgotten, a lovely group of writers have been collaborating this year to rally our community into writing specials for the Vampire Academy's 10th anniversary. I was honored and overjoyed to be asked to write a little one shot for this holiday's theme: Halloween! Now as I'm sure you have learned I am a terrible procrastinator and my submission may have been a little too late to be included in the grouping. If it wasn't too late, you can go check out my submission and the many other submissions by amazing authors in our little fandom at the pen name: VA10thanniversaryproject. If it was too late, well shucks, but still go check out the amazing submission made by the other writers for this and previous releases. So far they have four (FOUR!) other compilations for mother's day, father's day, valentines day (oohlala) and an AU story line. The Halloween special comes out tomorrow, on Halloween so keep your eyes peeled for that, as well as the festive special that will be happening in December. Much love to the writers who organized this event, the participants, and you, the amazing fans that keep this happy train rolling. I've included a teaser of my submission (which I'll probably cross post over here in a week or so even if it does get included in this event) below.

Until next time,

Carot

Story Title: Daymares and Nightdreams

Author: dcarot

Background: When someone is living the perfect life, what are their nightmares filled with? When someone is living a nightmare, what haunts their dreams. The following are two stories, one from Lissa's point of view and one from Rose's. I'm not sure I have a specific point in the timeline for the first half but the second part, Rose's POV, is very clearly from Blood Promise. I think dreams are never straight forward, but always say something, and I think what Lissa and Rose experience here brings up some of the real questions they faced in the books. Hard truths, in my opinion are the scariest things of all. MA for very (sexy) adult themes.


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